Fallen Light
by ExDraco
Summary: My name is Risk. Some call me Kylor. I don't mind either, to be frank. I'm a grovyle-hybrid, but for some reason my powers go beyond a normal hybrid. In fear of my powers, I've lived my life on the run. I've never stopped running, but maybe one day I will. The one thing I do know: my destiny is decided by those two words: 'Fallen Light'. Check profile page for OC form.
1. Prologue: Twin Brothers

Hey, guys! I know it's been a while, but I finally decided to scrap The Existence Artifacts and re-write the whole plot line once more. After looking over and over the plot line, I realized it had far too many flaws, and the parts I had already written were a little disappointing in my perspective. So I've decided to revise it completely, but still using Risk/Kylor as the main character. I now present to you, the first chapter of Fallen Light.

Fallen Light

Prologue Chapter: Twin Brothers

-?-

My name is Risk. Or some people call me Kylor, I don't really mind either way. I live my life everyday on the run, my leaf blades stained with at least a few drops of blood by the end of the day. Some of you might wonder, why the heck do I have leaf blades? The answer is because I'm a hybrid. I was a human, but then I was fused with the DNA of a grovyle, which led to all of these mutations. And although some might think it's great to have powers like these, my perspective is entirely different. Every time I look at my reflection, or when I'm fighting off my enemies, I view my mutations as a painful memory of what I had done six months ago. Some people think of these abilities as a blessing, I think of it as nothing more than an agonizing curse. How this all started, I will have to go back six months to tell the tale.

-Six Months Ago-

"Unh… What…? Where am I?"

I opened my eyes to scan the surroundings, my head resonating with pain as I forced my sight to concentrate on answering two questions, what happened to me, and where was I. My entire body felt like lead, each muscle put out of commission and not one nerve responding to my commands. I hadn't lost all my senses, which was good, at least. I still had my clothes on, that's for sure, but for some reason I just didn't feel like myself.

My surroundings were a typical place to wake up in, just outside a garage of some sort that was simply a tiny area of the overlooking humongous building. I had no idea where I was at the time, all I did know is my eyes were slightly blinded from lights that came from behind, most probably head lights on some vehicle. I still couldn't twist my head to be sure, so that was my best assumption. Now on to my next questions, what had happened to me?

I was thinking I had to wait for my body to recover before I could actually get some answers to my infinite questions, but apparently luck knew patience was not one of my virtues. Soon after my awakening, two soldiers appeared in front of me, and that was when I first realized I was their prisoner. I was locked in a cage like an animal, surrounded by four walls constructed with steel bars that I could only hope of destroying. I seemed to be on an elevated platform, since even though I was collapsed on the floor of the cage I was still at eye-level with the soldiers in front of me.

"So… where… transport… to…" I was sure that wasn't what he was saying, but my ears were still ringing with exhaustion that I couldn't make out clearly what their conversation was about. By using my sight and what I could salvage from my hearing, I concluded that the two in front of me was one soldier and one commander, or someone with higher rank.

"What… condition…?" The commander asked, my hearing still making out only gibberish, or was it?

"Semi-conscious… normal… heart rate… breathing… mutations… complete…"

"Semi…? Why… isn't… sedated…?"

"He won't… be able to break out… anyway…" My hearing was getting better, since I could now hear their conversation slightly clearer.

"Sedate him with a heavier dose; prepare him for three hour transport to Survival Lab."

"Yes, sir. But if he's part of Project Fallen Light," the soldier paused, just enough time for me to wonder what he meant by project, "why was the result a grovyle hybrid?" Those last words led me to wonder what he meant by hybrid too.

"Why the result is so, I don't know, but what I do know is that he is a level five security danger, so keep a close watch on him, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir! I will now go prep for transport."

The soldier turned to my cage, and then he crouched down at what was just below me. I heard the faint sounds of a button being pushed and a switch being flipped, and the next thing I saw was a mass of green fog that caused my sight to black out, and that irritating ringing in my ears came again. It didn't last long, though, as all my senses faded into black as my consciousness lost its grip…

-?-

The first sounds I heard were the sounds of gushing water. There wasn't anything louder than the sound of gushing water, flowing downwards, possibly a waterfall. I didn't see anything but pitch black, and I couldn't remember anything. Well, not everything was lost though; I could still remember my name, at least. My name is Peleus Altair, but that was all I remembered. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't close up the gap between now and the last thing I remember, which was training to learn how to fight.

Why was I training, you ask? It was to protect my little brother; he had a knack for getting in trouble and I always had to bail him out. Not that I was angry at him or anything, but one too many times I found myself defenseless against those who would harm him, so I decided to go off and train to fight. But that's the last thing I remember, I don't remember anything other than that.

After what seemed like a long time in the dark, I opened my eyes to see if I could determine where I was and what had happened, standard procedure when kidnapped in the Pylius Protection Army, or PPA for short. But what I saw after I opened my eyes wasn't in any way possible 'enlightening', since all I saw was exactly the same as if I had never opened my eyes at all.

Either I was being kept in a dark cave inside a waterfall, or they blinded me because all I saw was darkness still. I honestly hoped it was the former instead of the latter, I really didn't want to be a blind person, and the thought itself was scary enough. Thankfully, my suspicions were proved correct, when a wall of some sort opened up, albeit slowly and with a whole lot of mechanical noises, coupled with the sounds of rocks tumbling and splashing in a body of water, like a steel wall disguised behind boulders and rocks.

The light was blinding, and my eyes squinted at first sight but eventually I got used to it and I could see clear as day I was being kept as a prisoner. Of course, I had no idea why but my best assumption would be that I was being kept hostage, but with people like these you just couldn't assume.

I felt vibrations coming from the platform I was on, and soon I found out why. I was sitting inside a steel cage. It was a steel cage on an elevated platform with wheels covered in chains, kind of like what you might see below an army tank. The platform slowly moved towards the light, probably they were transporting me to somewhere else, but for some strange reason I didn't see anywhere nearby.

_It must be an automated platform. I wonder why I have to be transported with no direct contact. _

The reason for that was all but a void to me, so all I could do for now was wait and see what would happen next. Trust me, my reaction to what happened after I got out of that darkness would have happened to anyone normal. As soon as the cage finally burst out into bright daylight, my body responded in sync with the smell of fresh air, and my previously unmovable body finally responded. When I turned my head to see if anything had happened to me, my eyes widened to the size of plates.

My skin had an orange tinge to it, which was the first thing I noticed. If that wasn't shocking enough, I had a tail with a small red ember dancing at the tip. If THAT wasn't enough, my hands were partly replaced by claws that closely resembled that of a Charmeleon's. I had seen some pretty strange things in the PPA, but this definitely creates the new golden standard of weird.

I didn't have much time to marvel at what I had become, as we entered the forest and left the cave behind the waterfall (explains where the gushing water sound came from), green gas surrounded me and I began to feel sleepy… My sight became more and more limited as I collapsed on the cold, hard floor of the cage, a hint of pain erupting from my ribs as I took a forced trip into dreamland…

-Risk-

I didn't know it at the time, but from the moment I awoke, everything would become nothing but chaos.

The second time my eyes opened, I actually remembered what had happened the first time, before that green gas, which I assumed was sleeping gas, knocked me out. This time, I didn't need to wait for my body to respond, since the dose of sleeping gas they gave me probably wasn't as strong as the last. My eyes fluttered open like window shutters and I was up and ready. I was still in that dumb cage, but my surroundings had shifted dramatically, which wasn't surprising to say the least.

This time I was placed in the middle of a small room, surrounded by four steel walls and a ceiling lamp overlooking the entire area. Over in the top-left corner of the room I noticed a small work table, and on top were just a bunch of papers and files bunched up in a pile, coupled with a table lamp that seemed to complete the ensemble. There was a door, of course, at the top-right corner of the room. Even if I got out of this cage somehow, I wouldn't be able to escape; the door had some sort of password protection on it, and I had no idea how to open the door.

There were absolutely no windows at all, which led me to believe that I was currently underground, but I couldn't be sure unless I got out of this dumb room, which didn't seem to be happening any time soon. It seemed surprising to say this, but I actually felt bored. I know it may seem like an insane emotion after being captured by people I don't even know, but all I had to do was stare at the lab's layout and wait for what happened next. Boredom seemed like the sensible thing to feel right now.

Then something I noticed snapped me out of my boredom, changing that feeling into pure dread and shock. A glass mirror was hanging on a peg that stuck into the wall, and I couldn't help but feel as if it was meant for me when I woke. What I saw inside terrified me. I had changed, a lot. My skin had a green tinge instead of the humane pale white, my hair was still blond, but now it overlapped with a really long leaf that seemed to grow out of my head, almost like a grovyle.

My irises had turned blood-red, they were sky blue originally, and my arms had leaf blade growing out of the sides, as if my DNA had been fused with that of a grovyle. I found the strength to stand up inside my cage, realizing that there was enough space for me to stand up straight. Growing out of my… bottom end of my back was a bunch of leaves that had a striking similarity to the tail of a grovyle. I was wearing a black T-shirt along with a pair of black jeans with a skull pattern on each leg.

I suppose my outfit wasn't too bad, despite the freaky mutations and all, now all that was left was to find out what I was doing here and find a way out, both of which I didn't have to wait long for. Soon enough, a team of soldiers all wearing the same exact uniforms with an assault rifle pointed in my general direction emerged from the entrance, and one of them flipped the switch to let me out. All of them cocked their rifles as I stepped out of the cage, as if to say: _Move and we'll blow your brains out._ I would gladly take that warning.

They led me out of that dull room and through the corridor beyond, a semi-circular tunnel that seemed to lead somewhere, with not a window to the outside. My suspicions were confirmed from then on, I was underground. This team of soldiers seemed to be my escorts to somewhere, as to where I didn't know. I didn't have long to wait though, within a two minute walk they dumped me in an elevator. As the lift doors closed they went back to their duties, and the lift ascended the floors. The elevator dinged at the 'Basement Three' floor, and even more soldiers were there to escort me.

I gladly followed them, hoping to find out more to my questions, and hoping to find a way out of here. We walked silently through another corridor; neither a word nor sound was uttered from the soldiers, making the underground air that much tenser. Soon enough, we reached a crossroads in the corridors, the path in front of us replaced with a metal door. One of the soldiers walked over to the side of the door and scanned his palm on it, which was the key to opening it. The soldiers stood in a wall formation behind me, leaving me no choice but to venture onward through the door.

My first thought was: bright. Though the corridors were lighted somewhat, the intensity and brightness of those small lamps was nothing compared to this massive arena. When I say arena, I literally mean a place just meant for fighting. The ground was covered in obstacles such as jutting rocks and slippery ground, and there were balconies hung on the walls above me, watching over like spectators. I almost felt like I was a gladiator or something, but it was just wishful thinking.

At the exact opposite of the battlefield, another 'hybrid' emerged, and quickly scanning his traits I confirmed that he was a charmeleon-hybrid, but for some reason he looked surprisingly familiar…

Then a voice broke into my thoughts, one that boomed over the loudspeakers.

"Alright, let us commence this battle. Lapsus, the Fallen Light, versus Imperius, the Aurum Soul."

-3rd Person-

Both Peleus and Risk had absolutely no idea what was happening at the time, but they understood English enough to discern one thing: whoever that voice belonged to, he was commanding the both of them to fight each other for no damn reason in hell whatsoever. And though it was obviously a command to begin fighting from the voice, neither 'Lapsus' nor 'Imperius' felt compelled to start a battle one bit. That was the case, at least, until the voice boomed another line through the loudspeakers.

"Oh, and to give you both some motivation, the winner of this battle shall be given his freedom."

That line, though short and somewhat sweet, was enough to send the entire field into pure chaos. Those simple eighteen words, the word 'freedom' in particular, were enough to spark an obligation to battle in both of these hybrids. Of course, neither was as psychotic as the person on the other side of the loudspeakers, and they were both gentlemanly enough to say one line before their battle began.

"This is just for freedom, so no hard feelings, right?" Risk spoke first.

"Same here. Let's finish this quick."

And so, the battle ensued, and escalated to an all-out two hybrid warzone. The first strike came from Peleus, who fired a Fire Shot through the network of rocks covering the battlefield, a straight path to hit Risk. The fireball streaked past the intended target, as the grovyle hybrid ducked under a rock waiting for the fireball to hit the wall. Returning fire with Edge Boomerang, he summoned leaves to act as boomerang and circle around to hit Peleus, though with Blaze, a teleportation skill, he evaded easily.

Peleus landed just beside Risk as a streak of fire, and from ranged the battle turned to hand-to-hand combat. Peleus kept up the constant pressure with Inferno Helix, while Risk countered each strike perfectly with his own Leaf Blade. They exchanged blow after blow, sparks hit the ground and bounced off the rocks as the mortal combat escalated to a much faster pace with each attack.

Peleus slashed horizontally with his attack, and this time luck was on his side. Risk managed to side-step, but barely as the embers dancing off his opponent's palm lightly grazed his shoulder, a gash mark now evident on his lightly-green skin. Risk immediately counter-attacked with Razor Pierce, in which he condensed sharp-edge leaves into the form of a large blade, and well, pierced Peleus with it. Peleus, on the other hand, dodged with ease, and returned with another Fire Shot. This time, Risk increased his speed with Instant Flash, and the fireball struck nothing but the air around it.

Risk had practically vanished, and Peleus looked left and right, spinning his head in circles as he tried to locate his opponent. It wasn't until too late did Peleus realize that Risk was right above him, as Risk fired Terra Flare, an insane attack that created a mid-size green explosion at where Peleus once stood, leaving him with cuts and injuries all across his body, his clothes ripped and stained with blood.

Then, out of nowhere, Peleus drew a silver blade, a sleek sword with a silver wolf-head insignia in the middle of its cross-guard. Its hilt was made of pure gold, and it was wrapped in dragon leather. With his now unsheathed sword, Peleus had the advantage. He continuously spammed Blaze, in which he would vanish off somewhere and re-appear just beside Risk to land a blow. Risk had to keep all of his senses sharp just to be able to dodge SOME of his attacks. Majority managed to land a hit, and within a minute Risk was covered in slashes and bleeding, each cut oozing out blood and staining his skin red.

Peleus never seemed to tire, each time Risk dodged Peleus would simply appear somewhere unexpected and land a hit, with Risk at absolutely no position to block them. With Risk dodging a downward slash from Peleus' sword, he used Instant Flash, dashing at top speeds to behind a boulder, but of course Peleus was already prepared for that. As Risk turned his head to check if Peleus was approaching, Peleus appeared behind him, alerting Risk to his presence with, "Looking for someone?"

Risk spun around in instinct, slashing his leaf blades towards the direction of Peleus' voice. It was a futile attempt though, as his leaf blades were met with Peleus' silver blade, and sliced in half. Blood gushed out from each of the fallen tips and soon the side of the boulder had turned as red as Risk's arms and legs. He collapsed in pain, gripping his arms tightly as he winced in excruciating pain.

Risk's neck was met with Peleus' blade tip, and with a smug expression Peleus said, "I suppose this is my win. You lose, grovyle."

A loud clapping came over the loudspeakers, "Well done! Well done! You both fought very hard, I am impressed by your prowess. Now, if you would both return to your cells…"

"What!? I thought you said the winner would be allowed to go free!"

"Oh, that was just a way to get you two to fight! Of course I can't let you go, you're such valuable subjects. Guards, bring the prisoners back to their cells."

The doors burst open and out came pouring a massive amount of soldiers and guards, each holding an assault rifle in hand with the nuzzle cocked at the two hybrids.

-Risk-

'Imperius' was strong, but I doubted he was strong enough to take on all of those soldiers by himself, and even though he had fought with me and left me with scarring injuries, he was fighting for freedom, one thing I can definitely empathize. Since now the battle was over, there was only one suggestion to make.

"Hey, Imperius. Wanna call a truce and blow these assholes' brains to the ground?"

"Why not? I could go for some pandemonium."

He offered me his hand, and I gladly took it. Soon, both of us were standing back to back, 'Imperius' brandishing his sword while I… well, my leaf blades were sliced off in the fight, but I hoped they would regenerate eventually, for the mean time I was gonna have to stick to non-melee skills. They surrounded in a circle formation, leaving gaps in their ranks only for the towering boulders, leaving almost no room for escape.

But like always, the key word here was 'almost'. Between the two of us, I'm pretty sure we could get rid of these guys easily, especially with the godforsaken silver sword that Imperius now held.

I struck first, using Instant Flash to dash just in front of the nearest group of soldiers, eliminating all at once with Razor Pierce, as the giant razor-sharp leaf blade sliced all of them in half, I swung it around, eliminating thrice as much. Imperius took the signal as the green light to attack, and the next time I turned around, his silver sword looked far cooler.

He shouted like a battle cry, "Silver Fenrir, Awaken!"

His silver sword glowed a bright silver light, and the next time I opened my eyes I saw the most majestic silver-mane wolf standing beside him. A summon creature brought forth by the blade, a treasured ally in our escape. Imperius brandished the blade again, and this time the wolf dissolved into a spiritual mist, appearing in a bipedal spirit form around and above Imperius, during which he shouted 'Lunar Eye!', each blast vaporizing one unlucky soul. The beams seemed to hit at random, but they were really accurate, I have to admit, albeit embarrassingly.

In the mean time, I covered the other side of the circle, cycling between Terra Flare and Razor Pierce, since those were the only two attacks I could use at the moment. Each attack seemed to tire me out even more, and especially since I just had my butt kicked by the uber-cool, silver wolf-wielding charmeleon-hybrid.

But luckily I managed to pull through, and eventually the swarms of soldiers stopped asking for punishment, the battlefield now littered with blood, organs and the sick smell of devastation.

"C'mon! This way!" Imperius signaled to me, to follow him, which I gladly did, of course.

He rushed off towards the eastern door from which the soldiers came from and sliced it open with his silver sword. He lead the way down the hallways, as I silently followed without any sound, dormant pain still coming from my sliced off leaf blades. The next wave of soldiers appeared, surrounding us from front and back of the corridor, which we finished off easily with Terra Flare to the back and a concentrated Fire Shot from Imperius.

Once the hallway was clear, and with our hearts pumping with adrenaline, we ran. There wasn't anything else that made any more sense but to run. We rushed through the hallways, taking out enemies as we went. Imperius cleared the hallways with Fire Shot, while I covered our tails with Terra Flare. We were in perfect sync, a two-man fighting team that worked perfectly together to escape from the godforsaken hellhole of experimentation.

After what seemed like forever, we reached the front doors, and with our shoulders we burst out, slamming the doors back in. Imperius used a little fire to melt the doors in place, minimally delaying the progress of the soldiers chasing us.

"Nice work back there, Lapsus. I suppose this is where we part. Don't get caught and maybe we'll see each other again." With those last words, he ran off, leaving me alone.

I followed his lead, but ran in the opposite direction into the dark of the woods, but I didn't even get close. As soon as I reached the perimeter of the lab, a hybrid burst out of the sky and crashed down in front of me, the shockwave forcing me back. I managed to stay on my feet, but I got the feeling the battle wasn't over for me yet.

The dust cleared, and standing there in the miniature crater was a hybrid. He had this creepy smile across his face, and I could hear maniacal giggling from him, albeit soft enough that normal human ear wouldn't be able to notice. He was a servine-hybrid, and he was around my height. He had medium-length black hair, a light skin tone, an athletic build and red eyes with slit-like irises, almost like a snake. He would've looked like me, except for the black hair and snakey eyes and the forked tongue that hissed every once in a while.

He was wearing a green-colored armor that was most probably used for stealth, since it was made of cloth, was thin, and blended it almost perfectly with the surroundings. On his right shoulder was an insignia that I had seen multiple times in that lab, plastered on the wall, so I guess it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume he was working for them. And he had a wicked customized assault rifle slung over his back in a leather strap, its design far different from any of the normal ones.

"So, you're Lapsus, Fallen Light. I really don't know what the big deal about you is, but orders are orders. So, will you come quietly, or will I have to use force?"

"What do you think?" I got into a battle stance, growling softly, probably a new hybrid-based instinct.

He let out a maniacal laugh, one that I was getting crept out by, and remarked, "How do you expect to fight me? Your leaf blades have been sliced in half! Why don't you just give up?"

To show I wasn't completely helpless, I fired a Terra Flare at him, though he just side-stepped a long way and it missed him completely.

"So, you can fight, to some extent. But let's see how long that will last in your weakened state." His forked tongue hissed at me just before he charged.

His tail glowed green as he spun around, probably a Leaf Blade attack, which I dodged with Instant Flash, countering with Razor Pierce. He dodged it without any difficulty, and literally whacked me with the butt of his rifle. The impact sent me sprawling back, and gave me a sudden, albeit terrible revelation. I wasn't going to beat this guy. Maybe after five years of training I would, but not in my current state. Sliced off leaf blades don't exactly make the best battle tools.

"Ready to give up? I'll stop attacking if you do."

"Never! I won't let you beat me, no way in hell!" Screaming louder than I ever had, I charged with a Razor Pierce in hand, but I was met with a smirk from the servine.

He dashed right, and he instantly disappeared. I stopped in my tracks, spinning around in circles trying to find out where he was. I assumed he was camouflaged into the surroundings, but knowing that didn't exactly help my situation. A sudden Leaf Blade from behind me sent me flying towards the grass, and once I was practically kneeling on my knees he un-clipped his rifle, shouted 'Vastitas!', and went trigger-happy on the area around me, each bullet exploding upon contact. Despite all this chaos, the craziest thing went through my mind when the last bullet struck.

_I count 120 explosive bullets._

Crazy, right? Here I am, nearly dying by the hands of some psychopath servine-hybrid who just happens to favor explosive-bullet rifles and has a leaf blade, something I don't have, and instead of coming up with plans or good ideas my mind does mathematics. Anyway, back to what was currently happening.

He approached me with his rifle pointed at me, soon in point-blank range. I was frozen in fear, helpless with nothing to do. He was supposed to re-capture me, so I knew that he wasn't going to kill me, at least. But it didn't stop him from doing what came next. He raised his rifle like a club, and swung it downwards to knock me unconscious. That isn't the crazy thing, what happened next was.

My reflexes instantly caused my body to react to the ensuing blow. As the rifle butt soared over me, I slid underneath the servine and did a little uppercut punch to his face, causing him to reel back in surprise and shock. My body didn't stop there. It kept up the momentum, right cross, left cross, right uppercut, why the heck am I sounding like a robot boxing commander? I didn't need leaf blades to attack, I used my bare fists.

In desperation, the servine tried another Vastitas, but this time it didn't work. As the raining bullets came down over me, each were dissolved into nothing but smoking air by the black aura that now surrounded me. In the plastic areas of the servine's armor, where I could see my reflection, I could've sworn my eyes changed from blood-red to dark as night… The last thing I remember was feeling a straining feeling all over my body.

The next time my eyes opened, I was frozen in fear, not of the servine, but of myself. What now surrounded me in the place of the forest and trees was nothing but a smoking field of desolation. The building behind me had been reduced to rubble, the structure crumbling down, and the forest was replaced by a black field with smoke rising into the air. The entire area had been destroyed, a whole place, just boom! Up in smoke, nothing left.

I was in shock, total shock. Nothing was left but me and the polluted air that caused me to cough more than once in the midst of my tears. In complete fear, I ran past the destroyed plains and into the remainder of the forest. I ran, and never stopped running, for I knew that all of that destruction, all that loss of life was my doing. And that was the first time 'Fallen Light' was unleashed. It wouldn't be the last.

Well, I hope this prologue is better than the one from The Existence Artifacts. This is by far my most sped-up prologue ever, introducing another author's OC right off the bat. No rewards for guessing who, though. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and please review, since that's my only way of knowing if anyone read it at all. Reviews always put a smile on my face. Well, see you guys next time.


	2. Chapter 1: Vernier Forest

Alright! I'm so happy to see how Fallen Light has taken off! I've already gotten quite the number of OCs, and I think I'll be fine for the next couple of chapters. Now, sit back, relax, and watch as I reveal the fate of Risk, six months from 'Fallen Light'.

* * *

Fallen Light

Chapter 1: Vernier Forest and the Flygon of Ice

-Risk-

The chirping of the birds, the golden rays of the rising sun, the smell of fresh grass and flowers greeting me every morning always gives me some sort of comfort. This was the place I always came back to visit. Though I had to live my life on the run, and for some reason Betrayal Force was particularly adamant about re-capturing me, this place was always the one area where I could feel calm, the one place where I could be happy without worry.

Vernier Forest, though in the old days it was dubbed the Forest of Hope. The legends say that people and pokemon alike came here during ancient times to pray for hope; the light of hope that came with every dawn marked the beginning of a new day. It was a sacred place, and no weapons were allowed within the vicinity of Vernier Forest. The trees and grass were evergreen, it never wilted and it never dried out, and the sun always shone onto the ground, piercing the shady cover of the rustling leaves.

Ever since that incident six months ago, I had been trying to learn what had happened, but I hadn't had much luck. I did a whole lot of research on what happened, but I didn't come up with anything. I tried lots of alternatives, such as disguising myself and heading to town libraries across the continent, and even breaking into top-security labs just to look for information, but unfortunately hadn't found anything. I was hoping to find something soon, but with my luck and track record I wasn't having much hope.

It's kinda ironic to be standing in the middle of the Forest of Hope and not having any hope for the future. Vernier Forest had a glowing aura of hope surrounding it, anyone who entered would have their spirits lifted, it was like a paradise, this forest. There was no violence here, and peace was eternal. At least, until Betrayal Force found out I was staying here. They attacked multiple times, but for some reason there was a gap between each attack. It took me a month before I figured out one of the legends were true.

From the place I was staying, which was just an underground cavern with a spring just in the cave beside it; by the way, I had an entire place reserved just for research materials. It was just the usual books, papers, and even the occasional experimental file from the labs that dotted the landscape of Pylius. Most of the files I didn't even care to look at them, hadn't found a need to look at them yet, so they just sit there in a pile gathering dust. I had recently taken out a book from that mini-library of mine, and it was the most cliché title ever: **Vernier Forest.**

Flip to page 97 and the reason why I felt safe in Vernier Forest was right there in black and white:

**Vernier Forest is the Forest of Hope, and it was believed in ancient times to be protected by the Angel of Hope, Elpius. Due to this, a radiating aura of hopeful memories surround Vernier Forest, and anyone who enters will instantly feel a weight of their shoulders, with hope for a new day. However, no one in modern times has been able to prove this, since Vernier Forest periodically warps itself to a new location each time. This mechanism was put in place by Elpius to protect Vernier Forest from those who would want to destroy it.**

That paragraph was probably enough for Risk to explain why he was safe. Vernier Forest relocated to another place every time, so no matter how much Betrayal Force hunted him, he would just warp to another location, resetting the chase for him. Of course, Betrayal Force got some close calls on him, and that wasn't such a pleasant experience.

*Flashback*

-Two months ago-

"We finally found you, Fallen Light. Now, come back with us, or we'll resort to violence."

"You guys say the same old thing every time, it's getting old. I'll never go back with you, so why don't you just give up now?"

"Since you won't come peacefully, we'll just have to capture you painfully. Attack, men!"

I watched from on top of my mini-hill as the swarm of soldiers came pouring into the clearing, each equipped with a weapon of some sort, and there were all types of weapons in the mix. Swords, spears, guns, and I even spotted hand cannons on hybrids… I think. Every time they invaded the forest, I would immediately erupt in a sense of protection, as for why I'm still trying to find out. I would always protect the place like my home, even though it technically wasn't.

I jumped off my perch, and with my back against the end of the clearing, I faced down the soldiers that now surrounded me, cutting off all directions of escape. Not that I needed it, though, these guys were easy enough to defeat.

"Let's finish this quick; I've got a book to finish. Edge Boomerang!"

A green aura surrounded my leaf blades, and I swung them furiously, causing the energy to pluck themselves off my body and fly sideways, circling back to slash some soldiers in half, while some had their limbs torn off. The boomerangs came around another two times, and just like that a quarter of the squad was put out of commission.

I used Instant Flash, increasing my speed exponentially, and dashed right behind a group of soldiers, though by the looks on their faces and the fact they had no time to react I suppose I could've been dashing too fast (is there such a thing?). I sliced them in perfect halves with Leaf Blade, and flung another two Edge Boomerangs at the nearby group. While the boomerangs were doing their job, I side-stepped a downward strike from a human soldier, and pierced through the entire group with Razor Pierce.

The boomerangs ended their assault, and I jumped back up with a somersault back onto my hill, preparing my final attack to finish off the remnants of the squad of soldiers. They charged, in spite of the chaos I had just wrought and the grass now stained red with the splashed of blood splattering on the ground. I waited until they were just upon me, and that's when I ended it. I thrust my hands forward, and the blast of green energy was unleashed from my palms.

"Terra Flare!" I shouted, invoking the attack's name.

A gigantic explosion engulfed the area, and the loud boom sound came, sending the soldiers and their friggin' dumb squad leader flying off like shooting stars into the blue sky. (A/N: No "we're blasting off again!"? Too bad.) The explosion soon sizzled out, and the forest stayed unaffected. That was another perk I had discovered with my frequent battle with Betrayal Force in my 'hometown'. The leaves and trees here never got destroyed with my nature attacks, and instead my attacks just seemed to enhance and heal the damage they got from the soldiers. At least I can fight all-out without regards to the environment.

*End Flashback*

So far, since that incident, Vernier Forest has been quiet. No attacks in recent weeks, and the forest was still glowing its green hopeful glow like always. I would occasionally let loose a Terra Force or two, not as an attack but I guess you could say it as a fertilizer, since my attacks were beneficial to the forest's plant life.

Now that I think about it, I wonder what happened to 'Imperius'? The last time I had seen him was six months ago, before I had discovered Vernier Forest and made a living here. And that psycho servine-hybrid, I assumed he had been vaporized by that mistake-attack I had let loose back at the Survival Lab, but apparently he was still alive and kicking, since I had seen him around some of the villages Vernier Forest had apparently warped near to. My mind went blank from there, and this time my stomach took over my body control. I hadn't got the chance to eat breakfast yet, and since Vernier Forest was near a village, I headed beyond the borders of the forest to grab some food.

* * *

-?-

Hah… hah… My heavy panting was all that my mind could hear as I trudged through the forest trying to shake them off my tail. Betrayal Force had been chasing after me for the past two weeks, even though I had already escaped and finished my mutations around five months ago. They had left me alone for the past three months, but in the recent weeks their activity had suddenly became more and more active, to the point where I couldn't even get six hours of sleep without hearing a nearby explosion, which of course prompted me to get the hell out of there.

*Flashback*

-One month ago-

As of now, I was in an unknown forest that seemed to be a warp in space and time. I had entered the forest near the northern end of Pylius, where the glacial climates are and very few labs are stationed, but when I saw this green forest I had found it strange. After all, if the weather was a blizzard climate, and the trees in a forest were still evergreen and it still seemed to be warm and sunny inside, who wouldn't find it weird.

Freezing to death at the time, I rushed for the forest, and instantly felt the warmth penetrate the cold shell of my skin, and I instantly felt that much more hopeful that I would be able to escape. The trees had a healthy green glow, and the wind that entered the forest instantly became a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves in the trees. It had been a while since I saw such a serene place, so naturally I wanted to explore a little bit.

My sense of time is generally horrible, so I estimated an approximate two hours since I entered the borders of the forest, and I supposed as nice the place was I couldn't stay here forever since Betrayal Force would still be on my tail. Now here comes the strange part: As I walked towards the edge of the forest, a shocking sight befell my eyes. Instead of the blizzard raging outside and the entire ground covered with a white blanket of snow, it was instead a green field dotted with flowers that I had never seen before.

Just a few steps beyond that field was a cliff that overlooked an entire town, bustling full of people and aimless chattering filled the air even though I was so high up. Excited, I rushed down the cliff to have a look, and the smell of food entered my nose. It kinda feels embarrassing to say this, but my stomach was so grumbling that I ended up stealing the food from the villagers. Thankfully I was never caught, but I did feel bad about stealing that food. I didn't have any money, after all.

But when I returned to the site of the forest, the entire woods had been replaced by a field of flowers, blades of grass stood still as the wind came to a stop. My jaws literally dropped to the ground. How could an entire forest just whoosh away like that, it was as if it had teleported itself to an entirely new area. I was puzzled at first, but then after some thinking I came to the conclusion that it had the ability to warp itself periodically, it did explain how I got from the glacial climate to here after all.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to think about any of that at the moment. Betrayal Force had found me again, but I was still far too tired to fight them off despite getting the energy from the food. I had little choice but to flee, and think about the warping forest another time.

*End Flashback*

And now, one month later, I had found this forest once more. This time it seemed to stay longer than I expected, since the periodic warping seemed to happen every six hours. The forest had been here for eight hours already and it showed no signs of warping yet. I walked towards the nearby waterfall, hoping to wash off the dirt and grime I had accumulated over the past month. I threw my clothes to the side of the pond, where they floated on the surface, soaking in the water. I walked under the waterfall where the gushing water helped to make me look not so much like a beggar.

I looked down at my reflection, then down at myself, and I remembered the mutations as I had first seen them back in that lab. My skin had been replaced with white scales, and there was a streak of blue scales across my body, and growing out from my back was a pair of diamond-shaped wings, just like a flygon. I was a flygon-hybrid, after all. My nails had been replaced by claws, and growing out from where my tailbone should be was an actual tail, a tail with a fan-shaped tip. On my head was the most embarrassing mutation of all: antennae. It made me look like an insect.

I bathed in that spring for a while, the serene breeze blowing by every once in a while. The peace and quiet here was coupled by the sound of rustling trees, just the way I remembered it. The water worked wonders, in practically ten minutes the dirt and grime was nothing but faint memories on my body, and my clothes seemed to be clean of impurities as well. I got out of the water, and quickly clothed myself in fear that someone might be living in this forest.

As I stood up at the side of the spring, I got a quick glance at my reflection in the waterfall, which had a quick overview of my clothes. It was a new outfit I had adopted recently, a blue jacket, a pair of baggy shorts and for some reason I didn't find the need to wear shoes. A pair of red tinted goggles was strapped to my forehead, and I could faintly make out the cracked-star mark on the back of my left hand.

Now that I was clean and felt refreshed, I had all the energy I needed to start exploring this place. The forest was nothing interesting to see, it had the typical landscape of a forest. It was dotted with trees that had the constant rustling along with the gentle breeze, which seemed to be and all-time special in this mystical place. There were occasional mini-hills that overlooked small clearings like a battlefield, but I thought nothing of it.

There was the occasional spring with the overlooking waterfall, which obviously meant that the forest had a total other elevated level in the forest. I most certainly couldn't climb waterfalls, and I could've flown up but I wanted to use that as a last-resort move. I looked around the forest a way for me to get up there, and eventually I found a loose vine that I supposed could be used as a ladder up if only it was just a little more stable.

I took a few steps back, and stood with my legs apart facing the vine ladder. I thrust my hands forward and closed my eyes, concentrating my energy into the tips of my fingers. I felt my hands get a sudden burst of cold temperature, and that's when I opened my eyes, and the sight that met my eyes was as familiar as last time. Three orbs of ice energy circling my palms on each hand, joined together in a triangular frame.

"Freeze Frame!"

From the triangles of ice and beam of ice shot out from both, one blast hitting the top of the ladder while the other hitting the bottom, and from the blasts of ice energy the vines were slowly secured to the ground as the ice spread across the vines. The vines suddenly looked far more secure and safe to climb, and I had absolutely no worries about climbing them to the next level.

With my claws I securely dug them into the vines, and climbed them up to the next level of the forest. The second level wasn't much different, though. It was just another array of trees and plants, and that was all I saw on first sight. As I went in deeper, though, I learnt a very important lesson: never judge a book by its cover.

Within the surrounding outer layer of trees was a meadow filled with rare plants, some medicinal, some could be used as weapons, and some could be used in concocting some very effective potions. I grabbed some and stuffed them inside my pockets, which I supposed really wasn't the safest place for them to be, and I mentally reminded myself to get a sling bag or something to carry stuff in when I got out of this place.

I explored the upper forest some more, and found a whole lot more things that made this forest all that much more interesting. I found a mowed field with jagged rocks coming from the ground, as if it was prepared as a battlefield of some sort. A lot more man-made yet natural facilities could be found among the trees, such as a place with four spiny columns of rock curving towards the centre, almost like a meditation spot.

Then appeared the weirdest thing I could find: the entrance to a cave. It wasn't like any ordinary cave entrance, but more like a downward staircase into a stone labyrinth of some sort. The set of stone stairs seemed to go on forever, and despite the infinite darkness spiraling down I could make out a faint light like a torch at the very bottom. This piqued my interest, so I slowly and carefully made my way down the set of stairs. It was nothing interesting, just a downward corridor that led to some place with at least minimal light.

Eventually, after the long and tiring wait, the endless staircase finally vanished, and I burst out into a fully-lighted place. It was almost like a house, except built into the insides of a cave. There was a table and makeshift bookshelf that was carved into the side of the walls, there were many other tunnels that probably connected to the other rooms in this 'labyrinth', and the entire room had a cooling feeling to it, which I guess the spring at the end of the room contributed to.

I had already taken a bath, and I really didn't need another, so I instead went straight for the bookshelf, looking for information about anyone living here. There were a lot of book titles that blended together, like 'History of Pylius' and 'Techniques of Battle', most of which didn't seem the least bit interesting. The bottom shelves were a lot more worth to look at, since it was entirely comprised of experimental files stolen from the labs of Betrayal Force. Whoever collected these must love raiding labs. There were so many files, I even found out about me!

I'm not gonna say anything that was listed in that file, but I can only tell you that most of it was highly accurate. Whoever lived here had a practical information network about nearly every single hybrid ever created! He could look up the weakness and strengths of any adversary simply by flipping a page! He certainly had a rich intelligence fountain, that's for sure.

I was just about to begin exploring the other rooms when a single voice shocked me, and what he said was, "What, may I ask, are you doing here?"

* * *

-Peleus-

A lot has happened in the span of six months, and I really have no idea where to start. As of now, I'm on a mission to retrieve one of the five keys of Essidia, the Archangel of Light. Normally, our organization doesn't believe in ancient legends and relics like these keys, but if we got hold of those keys we could prevent Betrayal Force from making use of them for evil. I first heard of these keys from Xaleil, my second-in-command and one of my best friends.

*Flashback*

-Four days ago-

"Peleus! Open up! I've got something to show you!" The voice of Xeleil pierced through the metal doors as he pounded on the doors so hard he almost ripped the door of its hinges.

It was straight in the middle of the night, and I was already fast asleep. Though, I doubt anyone could've slept through the constant pounding on the metal doors and the loud voice reverberating throughout the room. The shock was so great I literally fell off the bed with a loud thump, my back erupting in intense pain while my body was followed suit by my bed sheets. Groaning and moaning from the rude awakening, I irrationally clicked open my bedroom doors and my lethargic eyes were met with the sight of Xaleil's grinning face.

Xaleil was my second-in-command, and like I said he was my best friend, so when he went missing seven months before I frantically set out to find him, only to be caught by Betrayal Force and experimented on. Only when I got back to base did I find out that Xaleil had been captured by them as well and had been turned into a hybrid, but he wasn't that unhappy about it.

Xaleil was a Plusle-hybrid, and his personality really did fit that of an actual Plusle. As for his appearance, he had combed-down grey hair with a cream-colored streak across the left side, his ears were replaced with those of a plusle, and his irises were golden-yellow. Instead of on his cheeks, the pluses were on the backs of his hands, which he could use to generate high amounts of voltage in a really short amount of time.

He has a toned and slightly muscular body, and his skin has been tinged with a cream color instead of the humane pale white. He was around 165cm tall, so that made him at least 20cm shorter than me, and he constantly had to look up when he was talking to me. On his right bicep featured the PPA's insignia, an eagle with its wings spread out and in the middle it was carrying a sphere of energy. Xaleil was wearing the same outfit as always: a yellow thunderbolt-design T-shirt and a pair of light-grey jeans, finishing the outfit with a pair of yellow-lined running shoes.

For a fourteen-year-old, he was much more mature than most, but he still had a child-like side to him at times. For example, he loved to annoy others on purpose just out of playfulness, and he got lost at times just like any other kid, needing someone else's guidance. For those reasons, he usually comes to me, since I was three years older than him. He had a knack for waking me in the middle of the night just to show me something he had found or discovered, and this was just one of those times.

Groggily, I asked, "Xaleil, it's two a.m. in the morning… Can this wait until morning?"

"Oh, come on, Peleus! I have something to show you! And it's really important, it can't wait!"

"Oh, alright then, come in…"

He happily skipped into my room, as if he was hyperactive without a hint of sleepiness in his eyes, the way he often looked. He plopped himself on to my bed, and I closed the door gently, joining him on the bed at his side, peering over his shoulders to see what he had brought to show me. He opened the book he had brought in, and I grabbed the controller I had left on my nightstand, pushed the top-left button and the lights flickered on almost immediately, allowing me to see the fine print on the book in spite of my tired eyes.

It was written in English, which was a good thing, but it didn't quite seem to fit the context of the book. The book's pages were covered in dirt and grime, as if the book was created millions of years ago, an ancient tome. There were symbols and crests on several pages, most of which didn't even make sense to me and just blended in with the rest of the words. Xaleil flipped the pages so quickly most of the words just flashed through my mind and vanished just as quickly. It was only when Xaleil stopped at a particular page did I begin reading.

**Page 194**

**The Keys of Light**

**The Keys of Light are ancient relics that are rumored to contain the power to unlock the gates to the Core Sanctum (See page 76), and potentially grant a person access to the Pylius Crystal. There are in total five Keys of Light, each key representing a certain element of Pylius. The red key, which represents dawn, the blue key, which represents knowledge, the green key which represents all of nature, the yellow key, which represents life, and finally the white key, which represents light and hope. With these five keys combined produces the Omega Key, which grants access to the Core Sanctum. **

As my eyes finished reading the last word, I turned to Xaleil and said, "What is this supposed to mean?"

"Oh, Peleus, you're so thick. Do I have to spell it out for you? The Core Sanctum is what Betrayal Force is after! If we get the five Keys of Light before them then we'll be able to prevent them from accessing the Core Sanctum!"

"And why would we gather them? Gathering them in one place would just make it easier for them to steal it from us, doesn't it?"

"Honestly! If we gather all the five keys, WE'LL have access to the Core Sanctum and then WE can use the Pylius Crystal's power to defeat Betrayal Force! It's a practical trump card against them!"

"Alright, so were you able to locate the keys? We can't retrieve them if we don't know where they are."

"Way ahead of you, Peleus. I managed to locate the blue key, the one that represents knowledge."

"Okay, we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. I'll organize a search party and I'll personally lead it. You're welcome to join if you want, but for now, please let me get another six hours of sleep at least."

"Oh… right." He said as he blushed in embarrassment, suddenly realizing what he had just done, he replied as he slowly exited my room, "I'll leave you to your dreams then. Good night, Peleus."

As I lay my head down to rest, I heard the sounds of the door click as Xaleil left my room, and the last words out of my mouth were, "Good night, Xaleil."

*Flashback end*

And so, because of that night, I was now on a mission to retrieve the blue key of knowledge, and it just so happens that right now it was the middle of the night. Our search party had been on this expedition for four days now, and it comprised of me, Xaleil and four others. Currently we were camping out in Twilight Forest, a place where moonlight could be harnessed for mystical properties, and we should be at our destination in two days time.

I heard Xaleil stirring, just in time to take the next watch shift. I walked over to him, and he gave me a silent nod as I bent down. He got up as quick as possible and tried not to look too tired as he sat at the edge of our campsite, watching out for danger as the rest of us took a snooze.

_I suppose I should get some sleep too, I'll need my energy for tomorrow._

I lay my head on the soft grass like a pillow, and my mind drifted into unconsciousness as my eyes stared into blank darkness…

* * *

-Risk-

"So, flygon, who are you?"

I had caught him red-handed rummaging through my things, and of all the things he had to look through it was the notes I had obtained over the six months I had been a hybrid. Files upon files of experimentation notes coupled with a not-too-shabby collection of mythical tales and old legends inside my stone-bookshelf. How I managed to craft it is for me to know and for you readers to never find out.

Upon hearing my question, he handed me the file that he was currently holding in his hand, and I flipped it open to take a read. The first thing I noticed was a picture of a face very like his, plastered onto the top-right corner of the first page. Then my eyes shifted to the words that were written in cursive handwriting instead of the bolded computerized words. Whoever wrote this must've been quite the old-fashioned scientist, because he evidently used pencils instead of keyboards.

On the file, this is what it said:

**Name: Xavier Stevens**

**Codename: Cold Magician**

**Species: Flygon-Hybrid/Icicle Crystal**

**Scientist's Notes:  
17****th**** December, Year 2179.**

**The Flygon-Hybrid is developing well, in terms of his mutations. He so far has developed a mutation in skin change, from normal pale human skin to white scales. After looking up the natural biology of a Flygon, I have realized that this scale colouration is not that of a normal Flygon, but yet I am not surprised by this change in biology. Along with the Flygon DNA we had added to the serum, a shard of the recently obtained Icicle Crystal was added as well, and we dubbed the serum 'Icestrike'. This gives the hybrid a ice-based colouration, white scales where there should be green and blue scales where there should be dark green. We believe his powers will be slightly ice-based, but it is unknown as of late, since we are still awaiting his awakening. **

There wasn't another entry, so I just had to assume that something had happened to the scientist after he had written that first entry, and never got the chance to write another one. What really shocked me was the date: 23rd July 2178. That was at least one year ago, the current date as of now would be 14th April 2179. He was a hybrid far before I had been mutated! After what seemed like a long time, I finally lifted my eyes off the file, and Xavier was standing right there, probably waiting for me to finish reading.

"So, Xavier, mind telling me why you're here and what you're doing?"

"Before I answer that, would you mind telling me who you are, and where I am?"

"You're the one who's trespassing onto my home, and you ask me questions?"

"Alright, fair enough. I came here to find out more about this place. I had stumbled upon it about a month ago, and I had entered from the northern ends of Pylius, where the snowy regions are. But when I stepped out the next day, I realized that I was at the edge of a village with green grass hills and fields. So, I'm back here to find out more about its mysteries."

"That's all, huh? Well, I can answer that for you." I paused, giving Xavier the opportunity to raise his eyebrows in question, and then I continued, "This place is known as Vernier Forest, or in the olden days it was dubbed as 'The Forest of Hope'. As for why you found yourself somewhere different, Vernier Forest has an enchantment placed upon it by Elpius, the Angel of Hope. This enchantment was put in place to protect Vernier Forest, which was supposed to be the center of hope in the world. It allows Vernier Forest to warp to another location periodically, which was why you found yourself from the northern regions to somewhere in the middle."

He nodded his head slowly, and then the words came out of his mouth, "Oh, so that's the reason. Well, I suppose that would be enough to answer most of my questions. But you forgot to answer the first one, who are you exactly?"

"My name is Risk Altair, I was part of Project: Fallen Light, and I'm on the run from Betrayal Force. Luckily, I've never had to leave Vernier Forest often, since it practically does the running for me, and for that I truly am grateful."

"I see… Could I ask-"

His words were cut short by a sudden earthquake, followed by the sounds of booming fire explosions, and the cracking and thumping of trees being brought down by a massive force. Without any second thoughts, I dashed back the way I came, passing by the pile of supplies I had left in the cave corridor, and just behind me Xavier followed suit as we burst out from the darkness of the caves and into the golden sunlight.

The sight that greeted me was anything but peaceful. The trees were toppled, and some in the distance were still falling. Fires raged among the grass and bushes, burning everything to a crisp and turning all the plant life into nothing but a smoking pile of blackened ashes. I did nothing but stare in pure shock as Vernier Forest was being reduced to a black bare land. Scenes of the Survival Lab I had reduced to rubble flashed before my eyes, before those scenes turned to that of Vernier Forest in rubble.

Then my shock turned to that of pure rage, a sense of protection overwhelming my soul, and from standing stiff with shock, my leaf blades immediately unsheathed, and I rushed towards the crowd of enemies to fight for my homeland. I started off my assault with Edge Boomerang; knocking over the first row of soldiers I assumed worked for Betrayal Force, the only possible people who would want to harm this tranquility and me.

I spun around from my initial attack, only to side step an incoming downward slash from a bayonet attached to a rifle, sending the guy flying with Leaf Blade. I ducked an overhead swipe, and swung him to the nearest embers with Leaf Blade. He wasn't alone, though. Two more swings of Leaf Blade and he was soon joined by even more of his comrades, their bodies serving as effective fuel for the fire to rise even higher.

I took down the soldiers easily; they were grunts, after all. I constantly cycled between Leaf Blade and Razor Pierce, which were supposed to be the 'chainable' attacks. Occasionally, I'd let loose a Terra Flare and send a large group of enemies flying out of the forest, and the nature energy in that attack would rejuvenate the trees around it for a moment, before they'd get engulfed by the flames again and then I was back to square one.

I used Instant Flash, and literally let my mind and body go on autopilot. Leaf Blade one guy, dodge a downward strike, Razor Pierce him and his comrades nearby, sidestep another, and use Terra Flare, recoiling backwards. That was how the battle was like for the next… ten minutes or so. Though it was really tiring to have taken on all those soldiers by myself, after quite the long while, I had finally expelled them all out of my homeland.

Now came the problem I had been ignoring up until now: how was I going to save the trees? I could use the healing springs that dotted the landscape of Vernier Forest to douse the flames, but I doubt I could carry the water back and forth fast enough to be able to extinguish them all without giving the flames any chance to rise even higher. I was stuck, and I had no solution, no answer to solve this problem. And like the reckless person I am, I just did the best thing I could.

"Terra Flare!"

With that, I thrust my hands forward, and out came a string of Terra Flare released continuously, each one rejuvenating the trees for a moment before they were simply engulfed again. Each attack sapped my strength, but I couldn't just do nothing and watch my home get brought down in flames. But my efforts were all for naught, for each attack did nothing but delay the inevitable, the fate that awaited Vernier Forest.

Then a voice came from behind that made me halt my attack, "Stop! You're not doing any good and you'll just run out of strength before you can really do anything!"

I turned around, only to see Xavier braving the fiery embers to come and 'help' me, but I really had no idea how he could.

"What do you expect me to do? Leave the forest burning like this? This is my home! I can't just leave it to suffer!"

Then the most unexpected thing happened as I turned around to continue my Terra Flare assault, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Stand back, leave this to me."

He stepped forward and I witnessed his silhouette pass by me, and now he was in front of me, standing in a stance that was unfamiliar to me, facing the flames as he thrusts his hands forward, blue sparks now dancing on the tip of his fingers accompanied by a low hum. For a good five seconds, nothing happened, while that continuous low hum sounded throughout the forest. Then the sparks exploded into brilliant blue light, engulfing his hands in them.

The spheres of energy around his palms split into three individual smaller spheres, circling his palms slowly, each keeping a distance with the other two. Then from the three spheres, beams of energy shot out, joining them all together, a blue triangle now hovering in front of his palms. He shouted, "Freeze Frame!" and from those blue triangles brilliant beams shot out, turning into vapor upon coming into contact with the flames.

It was then I realized, that Xavier was fused with an extra element along with the Flygon serum, one that gave him control over the element of ice. He started walking around, pointing his ice beams in different directions and dousing the flames with ease, and soon he covered the entire landscape of Vernier Forest, and the flames that once were became nothing but painful memories in the history of this place.

Now we stood on Vernier Forest: Central Level, on the elevated platform that I assumed Xavier and entered my cave from. Within the trees and plant life that dwelled there, there was a concentration circle that was constructed, though by whom I had no clue, but I must admit, it was very good at doing its job. The layout and array of the circle was built to focus the energies of anyone that stood here, perfect for difficult-to-cast attacks.

I stood in the center, taking a stance that I hadn't used in quite the while, and focused. A green light circled me back and forth, a low hum the evidence that my focus was at maximum level. I gathered the surrounding nature energy, quite difficult since the whole place was currently burnt to the ground, but eventually I had obtained enough, and I moved my left hand diagonally up, and my right hand vice versa.

"Forces of Nature!"

Then I thrust my hands both outwards, and a burst of green energy leaves scattered the landscape of Vernier Forest, a wide array of nature energy being unleashed. Slowly, I spun my head from left to right, witnessing the slow rejuvenation of the forest around me as a green glow illuminated the forest, and the trees, bushes, and even down to the tiniest blade of grass returned to the forest, the slow breeze of cooling wind soothing the air like a melody.

I breathed in the fresh air, and it instantly calmed me down, the best effect of the winds of hope. The glow faded, but the forest was back, the flames were nothing but faint red and all evidence of the destruction that happened here was erased from the face of the earth.

Then after the whole fiasco, Xavier finally spoke, "I guess since all that is over, I've overstayed my welcome."

He began to walk off, albeit with a sad-ish face, but then the most unexpected words came out of my mouth, "You know, if you want to stay, you can."

He turned around with a questioning look, and the words that came out of his mouth were surprising, "Really? I've never really belonged anywhere. All I ever wanted was friends, but no one ever wanted to be friends with me."

"Belong here, where hope marks each new day. And if you really want friends, I'd be glad to be your friend."

I offered my hand, and he took it with a smile on his face, and that was how our friendship began.

* * *

ExDraco: I kinda see a pattern here… A certain Flygon keeps saving my main characters. Far too much déjà vu.  
Xavier: When you figure that out, you can tell us in the next chapter.  
Risk: For now, let's just end this, we're not doing much but extending the word count.  
Peleus: Wait! I need to say something.  
Risk: What's that?  
Peleus: As for why ExDraco is not revealing any of the OC Forms this time, is so that he gets the capability to change it whenever he wants, as long as the aspects haven't be released to the general public.  
ExDraco: Shut it, Peleus! That was supposed to be a secret! *starts chasing Peleus around*  
Xavier: Honestly, it's only the second chapter… Ah well, let's end this.  
Risk: R&R, and we'll see you next time!


	3. Chapter 2: Energy Manipulation

ExDraco: And now we're here at chapter 2!  
Risk: So, what's gonna be in store for this round?  
ExDraco: You'll find out. Though to summarise…  
Xavier: He plans to feature another fight between you and Adrien.  
ExDraco: How did you find out?!  
Xavier: Using my powers I can see right through your thoughts!  
Peleus: Honestly… I suppose I'm gonna be the one to talk about sensible stuff.  
Risk: Uh huh? Like what? *completely ignores the author and Xavier's argument*  
Peleus: Simple. ExDraco is featuring a new location system for his fanfics.  
Risk: Location system?  
Peleus: You'll find out.

* * *

Fallen Light

Chapter 2: Energy Manipulation

-Adrien-

**Location: Twilight Forest  
Date: 15****th**** April 2179  
Time: 5:56 AM  
Historia: Present**

"Tch… where is that asshole…"

I was currently looking for that asshole hybrid that the leader of my squad had ordered me to recapture with, and I quote, 'extreme prejudice, without holding back'. Although, if I actually tried to do that I believe I might end up killing him, and that would greatly disappoint Sir Zero, the leader of Betrayal Force. If you're wondering why his name sounds so strange, that's because its just his codename, I've never bothered to ask for his real name, and also because he told me never to ask.

At the current moment, I was still traversing the thick layout of Twilight Forest, where sources had informed me that I could find Peleus Altair, the supposed brother of Fallen Light, or Risk Altair, if you prefer his real name. I don't really care either way; I just want to get this over with. Twilight Forest was once a sacred place where one could harness the moonlight for medicinal properties, and if one soaked in them too long they could end up 'Moonlit', a state where they lose their mind and go crazy.

Not that I minded going crazy, since I was forced to act crazy around two years ago and Sir Zero described my personality as 'twisted, with a large hint of the longing for blood'. My mind instantly drifted off just for that brief moment, flashes of those long-past scenes being relived inside my mind. I slapped myself to get off those memories, and when my senses finally returned I found myself giggling maniacally, albeit at a very soft volume so only I could hear it. Then I felt the depressants injecting into my left thigh, and I felt those memories fade into black.

With a new six-hour lease of sanity, I put my focus back onto finding the group of those people and hybrids that made up the scouting group of the PPA, their leader being my sole target. Twilight Forest was relatively thick, and it was near impossible to spot anyone in this darkness of night, but it was a good thing that I had brought a pair of night vision goggles, loaned to me by the weapons and technology department, courtesy of Sir Zero.

It forced my vision to go a whole lot greener, but at least I could pinpoint any signs of human or hybrid life in this forest without issues, and since I doubt the PPA had any of this technology I bet I could spot them before they spotted me, giving me the distinct advantage I needed to finish the battle quickly and assassinate them all without much retaliation.

Though, at the current moment I hadn't had much luck, since I couldn't even sense a hint of life in this forest besides the occasional bird and forest creature dance across my night vision screen. Nothing humanoid in shape or size appeared on my monitors, and the results of this mission started to look bleak, without any hope of completing this with any good turnout.

At least, that's how it was until my ears picked up a rustling sound coming directly east of me. My acute senses and reflexes instantly responded and my green-ish vision instantly turned to the left. The scanner line went up and down a few times, the soft electronic hum was the only thing to accompany me while waiting for those few seconds. And then the excitement began, when I noticed green silhouettes appear on my night vision screen, and upon habit I giggled for a moment.

I was careful not to make a single sound, as any rustle of the grass would immediately alert them to my presence. I sneaked up on them, creeping behind the façade of two intertwining trees, and I saw them. From an elevated level of Twilight Forest, down below and in front of me was the entire party of the scum from the PPA, my target leading them. Peleus Altair had finally showed himself.

Not giving them a chance to react to my sudden assault, I sliced one in half with Leaf Blade, and in their confusion killed another with the same move, two down, and four to go. I stepped forward at the stunned soldiers, and my momentary hesitation gave them enough time to get over their shock. Immediately they let loose their arsenals and volleys of bullets and charging foolish humans armed with blades and the like, all with the intent of finishing me off.

I scoffed at their attempts, their completely futile efforts to fight me off. What could mere grunts do to harm me? I used 'Stealth Camo', and dashed off to the side, using their sudden confusion as the sign that I had completely disappeared from their line of sight. The soldiers were confused, but the two leading weren't. Peleus and the kid that was right beside him before I had attacked rushed to the back to view my handiwork while the other two soldiers stood on guard. Taking advantage of their lowered guard, I swiped my tail upwards, the bright green after-slash of Leaf Blade trailing my tail through the poor maimed soul.

I made my mistake right there, letting down my guard. It was one of the most important lessons Sir Zero taught me, and yet I make that mistake from time to time. In that instant, a bullet pierced my left thigh, and it immediately erupted in sheer pain. Wrath filled my eyes when I spun my head, and before my eyes was a shivering soldier armed with his rifle, metaphorical smoke rising from the barrel.

I took one step forward, the first part in a much more potent technique. I dashed forward, combining my agility with my Stealth Camo ability, using it mid-dash to create a disappearing charge attack. With my sudden vanishing act, even the soldier looked around with utmost caution simply to determine my whereabouts. Little did they know that I was really just in front of them. Two quick swipes through the soldier standing in front of me and he resulted in mere corpses, pools of sparkling red staining the ground and unfortunately, my tail in the process.

All of the soldiers were now defeated, and the only one left was their leader, and my target. Actually my mission wasn't to eliminate him, but to capture him. For what reason I have no idea, but since it was a request that came straight from Sir Zero, I could do little but accept and perhaps I was compelled to.

"Who might you be, assassin?" questioned Peleus.

"Please, don't compare me to a mere assassin, I am Sir Zero's personal warrior, Adrien Mercer. You'll find, however, that I do not show even a shred of mercy, unlike my last name."

"Sir Zero… That would be the leader of the Betrayal Force, I gather?"

"Enough talk. You will not get any more information out of me. My orders were to capture you, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do!" I shouted, dashing forward and using that same vanishing technique.

_Strange, where is the kid he was with earlier? Did he escape? No matter, I'll eliminate this fool first._

Peleus unsheathed his sword, and the silver blade glowed brightly in the moonlight, a majestic and sleek sword that strangely matched his style. He took on a defensive stance, one of the many battle stances that Sir Zero had taught me. It was commonly known as the 'Nine-Sphere' stance, an all-out defensive stance that allowed the user to effectively block any incoming attack from any direction. It was also known as the 'Perfect Guard', but only if one could use it very well. Let's test how strong his defense is.

I struck from behind him, and his ear twitched for that small instant before I charged, as if he was hearing my movements. He immediately blocked my attack, and then switched to an attacking stance and his blade struck the side of my rifle. It was a good thing my rifle was made of carbon steel, a compressed metal that could not be destroyed or broken easily. I skidded to a stop in front of him, only to see him charge when my eyesight recovered, sword raised.

I sidestepped to the far right, using Stealth Camo to blend in and vanish once again. He halted his attack mid-dash, and took on a cautious look once more, constantly spinning his head left and right to try to anticipate my attack. While I was invisible, I had a window of time to think of a plan, and since this guy is a sub-leader of the PPA, I really did need one as of now.

"Come out of hiding, you coward! Face me straight on! Let's see who's more powerful!"

I kept silent, knowing that if I spoke even a word or made even a sound my cover would be blown and even more danger would come my way. I struck once more at instantaneous speeds, my Leaf Blade clashing with his silver blade, the force of the clash causing waves of pure force to fly outwards in all directions, the ground responding with pieces and fragments of the earth flying outward.

I jumped off the clash, somersaulting through the air and landing on my feet a fair distance from Peleus. It was at that moment when things began to go serious.

"I have no time for this!" he shouted, his words obviously directed at me as he took a stance with his blade's tip pointing backwards behind his back, the blade began to glow accompanied by a soft hum.

"Silver Fenrir, Awaken!" Pure energy erupted from him, and the earth responded even more fiercely, the silver aura that surrounded him resembled violent flames being blown apart by a ripping typhoon. The surrounding force condensed, a silvery energy taking shape just in front of him. It began to grow legs, a mane, a snout, and it's physical form solidified into a wolf.

_This must be the blade of legend I've been hearing about. 'Argentum, the Silver Fenrir', and its true form, a wolf with a shining silver mane that can move at beyond godlike speeds._

"Lost Limit! Force Stream!" The wolf charged forward at speeds beyond anything imaginable, a trail of golden mist following its silhouette, the only evidence that it even existed in motion, its speeds making it literally impossible to track with the naked eye.

"What the-" I didn't even get to finish my exclamation of shock before I got smashed by a godlike-speed body at full force, the only sounds out of my mouth were a instantaneous 'Oof!'. My stomach convulsed in pain, and my arms instinctively clutched my stomach in pain, trying my best to not lose my concentration.

_I must not lose concentration… I need to focus!_

This time, my mind was clear. A rare occurrence, but it does come to me from time to time. I watched closely, and easily anticipated the attack coming, dodging out of the way and vanishing into the surroundings. The wolf stopped instantly; with no target most probably it was confused and didn't know what to do next. Peleus' only orders were to stay on guard, most probably for my appearance. While they looked left to right and stayed sharp and aware of the potential danger, I sneaked around to behind them, in the cover of some nearby trees.

I climbed to the top, careful not to rustle the leaves of the trees too much, in case I alert them to my presence. At the top of the evergreen trees, I unslung my rifle, arming it with five rounds of my favorite explosive bullets. My cover instantly exposed itself, and I shouted 'Vastitas!', releasing all five rounds, one-hundred and twenty bullets in total in a volley of bullets, even the godlike dashing wolf was too shocked to even think about dodging them.

A chain of explosions erupted on the ground below me, and when the smoke cleared all I saw were the charred remains of Peleus, barely breathing with drips of blood staining the brown soil, his clothes nearly burnt to a crisp. I leaped down, re-slinging my rifle on my back in the process. Landing on my feet, I walked slowly over to his body, and just out of a little evil I kicked his stomach, more evil than to check if he was still alive. Still, I got the intended response of him coughing out a whole lot of blood, his reaction proof enough he still was alive, albeit barely.

I lifted him up, and was immediately thankful that he wasn't too heavy. As I prepared the portal device that Sir Zero had provided for me, I scanned the battlefield once more. There was something missing…

_Where's his sword? Shouldn't it be here?_

My thoughts were broken by the low hums of the portal opening, a weak suction pulling nearby flecks of dust being sucked in.

_Oh, well. I suppose I should get going. I'm already late, and I really don't want to make Sir Zero wait any longer._

I jumped into the portal, the spiraling green the last thing I saw before I warped back to the HQ.

* * *

-Xaleil-

**Location: Outskirts of Gehenna Plains, on the way to Vernier Forest  
Date: 15****th**** April 2179  
Time: 6:23 AM  
Historia: Present**

_Oh, man… I am so screwed. I need to get to 'that' place immediately! Brigadier General Peleus is counting on me!_

Oh, right, I suppose I should explain how I managed to get away from that psycho who captured the commander. Well, it all happened like this.

**Time: 5:46 AM  
Historia: Past**

Our entire party was taking a nice walk through Twilight Forest, taking the same route as merchants did long ago. After all, Twilight Forest was a place that was more than two thousand years ago, and it was only in the recent years did anyone decide to make this a forest. Just some backstory, Twilight Forest used to be known as Moonlight Plains, back when trees were scarce and only merchants used this place as a pass to other better-known places of the world.

Anyway, at present we were travelling with a party of six, Brigadier General Peleus, with me at his side, and another four soldiers that were part of a Grade S squad, some of the best fighters we have in the PPA. Of course, I was much more powerful than any of them. I was Brigadier General Peleus' assigned partner, allocated by the Marshal himself.

We passed by numerous different trees, though in the dead of night it really just looked like all the surrounding nature blended with each other, making it impossible to notice their differences. Brigadier General Peleus was like a father figure to me, since I had no family of my own, and he was very particular about my… education. He personally tutored me, on many subjects. Though the most interesting one was still 'Combat', I particularly put 'Natural Biology' as second favorite.

Due to that, I was very used to seeing many different species of creatures and plants, particularly rare herbs. I could differentiate plants very easily, but in this darkness I could hardly make out anything. Truth be told, I was surprised I was even chosen for this mission, there were plenty of people that were so much more suited for the job, but Commander Peleus picked me.

"While there may be many more people more skilled and more suited for the mission, I can't trust them as well as I trust you. There's no one I would rather have for this mission." Brigadier General Peleus had said on the day we left.

I was honored, of course. But with each passing day we faced more and more dangers and each time I couldn't help but chicken out. Brigadier General Peleus was always looking out for me, and I was more of a burden than help. Even as we stepped into Twilight Forest my courage deserted me and left me with a void of nerves. I couldn't help being paranoid, particularly in this time of night. I really hated the dark.

I suppose Brigadier General Peleus' senses were sharper than I thought, and once he saw my head looking downward deep in thought, his words snapped me back to reality, "Reminiscing, Xaleil?"

I looked up in a panicky way, and my eyes met Commander Peleus. He was quite taller than me, so I constantly had to look up when I talked to him. The first thing I learned in the PPA was that to one should always look at the person when talking to him or her, so one could show the person utmost respect. I took that lesson to heart.

"It's nothing, Brigadier General Peleus. Its just…"

"Ah, now I remember. You're not too fond of the dark, are you?"

"…No… I'm not."

"Ah, then I see the problem. Well, there's not much we can do for now. It'll be another four hours until sunrise, so until then I hope you can bear with it. We'll be out of Twilight Forest in a couple of hours, and then you'll get to see the sun, alright?"

"Alright, I'll stop thinking about it then."

My ears twitched, picking up gossiping whispers from behind me. Ever since I had turned into a Plusle-hybrid, my hearing had become much more sensitive, and I could pick up even the faintest of sounds.

"Man, I think the Brigadier General dotes on the kid too much." The first of the four soldiers walking behind us said.

"Yeah, I mean, the Brigadier General acts as if the kid is his younger brother or something. Jumping in just to save him from danger and all. And now just because the kid is scared of the dark the Brigadier General's consoling him! The kid really needs to grow up." The second agreed.

"Hey, come on guys. So the Brigadier General likes him and treats him like a little brother. That doesn't give us the right to be gossiping behind his back, so shut it. Try to remember, the Brigadier General lost his little brother last year." The third retorted.

"You're right… maybe this is his way of atonement. Let's just keep quiet, or the kid and the commander will hear us." The fourth made all of them shut it, after ending the conversation with a neutral standpoint. I have to say, the fourth seems to be the smartest.

After that it was just plain silence. The only sounds were the occasional whooshing wind that blew past the branches of the trees that lined the two sides of the path and our feet trampling and rustling the grass below us. It was peaceful, for once, a rarity on dangerous quests like this one.

At least, that's how it was until we heard impossibly loud screams behind us. The two soldiers at the back of the group screamed for a moment, before their voices were hushed, and a pair of glowing red snake eyes appeared as its eyelids uncovered the irises, a silhouette of a hybrid accompanying it. The figure vanished off into the trees, leaving the two corpses of maimed souls behind. Brigadier General Peleus and I rushed to see what happened, and the sight almost forced my stomach to convulse in disgust.

He had used a Leaf Blade technique, slicing through the two soldiers clean through, leaving nothing but four parts of disembodied humans, their blood and organs spilling onto the ground. It was the most disgusting sight I had ever seen. But, it wasn't as surprising as what happened next.

I heard Brigadier General Peleus whisper to me, and it sounded like a direct order.

"Listen, Xaleil, when the assassin returns and attacks again, I want you to 'Spark' into hiding, and don't come out until the battle is over, got it? If I should lose this battle, I want you to take my sword and head to Zone C-35, and get there within the next three hours, before daylight. My sword will be at that bush over there," He paused, before pointing to a bush directly left, then he continued, "Hide there, and get out if things go bad, got it?"

"Huh? But Peleus-"

I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence before another streak of green energy flashed across the air, taking out another soldier and leaving him in the same state as the previous two. I followed Brigadier General Peleus' orders, using my warp ability 'Spark', which is similar to Brigadier General Peleus' 'Blaze', I warped to the bush he had pointed at earlier, and watched the whole scene unfurl from there.

The assassin got unlucky, taking a shot in the left thigh from the remaining soldier, but eventually even the last soldier was taken out. Brigadier General Peleus unsheathed Argentum, and the battle got even more intense. Argentum began with a Force Stream attack, but missed the assassin completely! There has never been anyone who was able to block, much less dodge that attack! The battle went left and right, each fighter exchanging blows. But eventually Commander Peleus was defeated, and that assassin opened a portal, with both their silhouette disappearing into the rift.

Once the battle had ended, I looked around in the bush, until something sparkled in my eye. I picked up Argentum, the same place Brigadier General Peleus told me it would be. With determination in my eyes, I used Spark, keeping the intervals between each use of the skill as short as possible as I warped through the forest, and eventually I reached the exit. It was still dark out, which meant it was still as terrifying as it was back in the forest, but I forced myself to keep going.

**Time: 6:31 AM  
Historia: Present**

As of now, I'm still using Spark to get to Zone C-35, where Commander Peleus said to go. I had a squadron of Betrayal Force soldiers on my tail a couple of minutes ago, but it looks like I've shaken them off. Oh, I hope I can get there in time.

* * *

-Risk-

**Location: Vernier Forest: Central Hideout  
Date: 15****th**** April 2179  
Time: 6:49 AM  
Historia: Present**

I sat at the table, Xavier sitting exactly opposite me. We both had our poker faces on, staring at each other as if the both of us had just committed some sort of grave crime. Xavier revealed his hand from under the table, the very deciding factor contained within his very palm. He unclenched his fist, and in a flash flicked his thumb upwards, the object flying skyward before eventually landing back on his palm. We made our bets, then and there.

"Heads!" I shouted, taking the opportunity to make the decision.

"Then I'll go for tails!" He retorted, revealing his palm to check the face of the coin inside.

It showed the crest of Pylius, along with the date, and year the coin was made. That face of the coin… was heads!

"Aw yeah! I won again!"

"Aw man, this is the two-hundred and fifty ninth time!"

"Looks like you lose, Xavier, now fork over the cash."

He handed me a wad of cash, and I smiled a surprisingly evil grin.

"So, wanna keep playing? Cos' you know you'll just lose again!"

"Nah, I'm gonna need some time to recoup my losses. Man, you're good at gambling. Family trait?"

"Not at all, just something I picked up as a kid. Luck skyrockets for me every time!" I snickered; amused by the infinitesimal number of times Xavier might've lost to me if he kept going. Just thinking about how many Lyrions I could get just by gambling with the richest people in the high-tech cities of Pylius was literally enough to make dollar signs appear in my eyes, and I could've sworn I saw Xavier rolling his eyes, not that I can blame him.

"So, what do you want to do now? It's been peaceful for the last couple of days. Partially due to Vernier Forest's automatic warping abilities, we haven't had much action for the last couple of days. So, what do you want to do?"

"No plans, Xavier. As of late, I'm still researching the Fallen Light powers and I've only managed to come up with so little. I'll be doing some more digging and hopefully I'll get to the bottom of this."

"Right… I hope you won't mind if I go out to town for a couple of hours."

"What do you plan to do, Xavier? You know your physical mutations are too noticeable for anyone to not be able to see them in public." I reminded him.

"I know, but I was planning on doing some shopping, with the Lyrions I have left."

"You know, if you need a loan, don't be afraid to ask, that gambling spree really was just for fun. Since we'll be working together, the money we have is practically shared. And don't be so prideful to be unable to ask for a favor. Now, what is it that you wanted to buy?"

"Oh, it was just some supplies that I wanted to buy. I wanted to stock us up on emergency supplies just in case we might have to leave Vernier Forest one of these days."

"Oh, if it was just that, you have no cause for alarm. We have plenty of emergency rations stocked in the back room. You don't need to go out, and besides I don't want to risk Betrayal Force finding you and capturing you. I think we better stay here unless we really don't have a choice."

"Alright then… I'll stay here."

Seeing as we were both in agreement, I left him to his thoughts as he headed back to his bedroom in my little hideout here in Vernier Forest, while I headed outside the cave labyrinth for some fresh air. I had been cooped up inside for most of the morning, and majority of the time I had been gambling with Xavier. Not that I could complain, with the eighty thousand Lyrions I got from him. I was quite surprised he had that much money on him, though.

The cave's darkness soon faded into bright morning sunshine as my walk through the caves came to and end. A strong breeze of fresh grassy air struck me in the face as my eyes squinted from the light rays, taking a good two seconds to get used to. I put on a sky blue cap, a rarity for me to be wearing, but the sun just was something too bright for me not to block out for the day. My hands slipped into my jean pockets, and my legs moved on their own, taking me for a walk through Vernier Forest, the same route I had taken for a long while.

It was peaceful, like many days here on my safe haven. No one ever found me here in Vernier Forest, well, except for some Betrayal Force soldiers on some particularly unlucky days. Summer was coming to an end, and autumn was almost upon us. In response, the trees had begun to shed their leaves, the green feathers of nature changing into a multitude of colors. They came in a wide variety, red, orange, brown, and a whole lot of colors in between. The leaves fluttered down to the ground almost everyday and like a shower of falling petals, the green grass that dotted the landscape of Vernier Forest now covered in a blanket of leaves.

This made today's walk that much more interesting. And little did I know, it was today that just got much more twisted.

It happened at the edge of the forest, where I usually went when I wanted a little peace of mind and a glimpse into the outside world. But this time, instead of peace and quiet a loud panting noise blew along with the gentle breeze, and a string of electric sparks dotted the land below the large hill that Vernier Forest had recently warped to. I watched as the sparks appeared and vanished just as quickly, their pattern quite erratic as they seemed to get closer and closer…

_Wait, is it just me… or are those sparks headed for us?! _

I thought too late, the sparks dashed towards me, and struck me straight in the chest, sending me flying back into the tress. A silhouette appeared from the sparks, and upon first sight I realized the sparks weren't electric, it was a kid! A plusle-hybrid!

I jumped down from the branches he had knocked me into, and took a closer look at him, taking note of everything I saw. Grey hair, shorter than me, looks around fourteen, cream-colored streak across his hair, slightly cream tinged skin, plusle ears, plus signs on the back of his palms. And in his hands…

_No way… is that the silver blade I saw Imperius wielding on the night of our escape? How did this kid come to have it? Ah, stupid! I should get him inside the hideout; his injuries look serious!_

I picked him up, and thankfully he wasn't in the least bulky or heavy, being quite younger than me. I slung the silver sword he had carried along with him over my back, and carrying his body the way a mother would carry her baby (that sounds weird) and rushed through the forest. The grass split from the ground and clouds of dust trailed my steps, my silhouette going at top speeds to reach the cave that was quite the distance from the edge of the forest. There wasn't long to wait, however. Within a matter of seconds the cave entrance came into view, the particularly dense part of the forest concealing the entrance to the cave, in case of invaders.

The forest blended together in a blur of green and brown, my feet running at fleeting speeds into the cave entrance, through the elaborate labyrinth of cave corridors and finally into the hideout itself. Xavier was nowhere to be found, I could only assume he had already left for his trip into town, which was fine by me. Hopefully I could patch this guy's wounds by myself. I proceeded to the room that I had set aside for hospital purposes, and put the guy on a bed that I had guiltily stolen from a Betrayal Force hospital. I suppose that wasn't too fair, but then again all's fair in love and war.

Once I set him down, my shallow breathing subsided, slowly stabilizing to a gentler pace, with me taking much deeper breaths to make up for the lack of oxygen on my way here. I relaxed for a short moment, before I set to work, preparing whatever medical supplies I had salvaged from my lab raids over these six months. I mentally reviewed the list of items that I could use as of now: bandages, medicinal cream, cooling patch for fever, and a couple of other stuff that seemed unimportant.

I raised his shirt to reveal his abdominal area, the bright yellow color of the T-shirt concealing the deep gash that was planted there. A steady stream of blood still leaked out the side of the wound, originally staining the back of the shirt and currently staining the bed with its crimson shade. I quickly grabbed a bunch of cotton, and sprayed the antiseptic that I found among the medicinal supplies. I slowly dabbed it on the wound, careful to do it cautiously in fear of it being infected. Now THAT would be a serious problem, if it should arise.

He winced in pain at the cold sting of the antiseptic spray, which was a normal reaction, even in unconsciousness. His body recoiled for a moment there, probably out of instinct, but I somehow managed to keep his body from jerking too much and slowly cleaned the wound out. Once the blood had dried and the wound was cleaned, I began applying the bandages to it, though with a gash that big I had to resort to the really serious injuries type of bandages, wrapping it around his abdomen like a mummification process.

Soon the entire process was done, and I lifted my hands from his body. I tugged on his shirt, covering the bandage that now concealed the wound, and wiped a drop of sweat from my forehead, the entire experience clearly taxing my mental nerves. I washed my hands in a nearby flowing underground spring, the 'cave' version of a sink. Heaving a sigh of relief, I walked out of the 'hospital room', leaving the injured plusle-hybrid to rest. At that point, I heard the familiar shuffling of footsteps coming down the stone steps that lead to the upper levels of the hideout, and I almost panicked for a moment. The familiar flygon showed his face, and relaxation overtook my worries.

"Hey, Risk. What happened? You look like you've been through a great ordeal."

"I have! In case you haven't noticed, I'm panting my lungs out here!"

"Alright, chill. What's the problem?"

"We have an injured hybrid in the infirmary, that's what."

"What!? Let me take a look at him!" He rushed into the infirmary, tossing the supplies he had bought on his trip to town at my face, leaving my poor head to take the impact of the overpowering amount of items he had purchased, and I could've sworn I heard myself yelp.

Once my face had recovered from being squashed like a pancake, I joined Xavier in the infirmary, and he looked even more worried than I was. This is so cliché, when I'm worried, Xavier's relaxed, and now we switch places! He was closely examining the unconscious hybrid's wound, and his facial muscles tensed like they had some problem relaxing.

"What seems to be the problem, Xavier? You seem so… tensed."

"You didn't notice, did you? I suppose I can't blame you, nightshade poison is really difficult to pick out."

_Wait… POISON!? WHEN THE HELL DID THAT CROP UP!?_

He continued explaining, "Nightshade poison comes from the sap of the nightshade trees, grown very rarely in this part of Pylius. They're commonly found in the upper arctic regions of Pylius, growing particularly well in freezing temperatures. The colder their growing temperatures are, the deadlier the poison. The poison's symptoms can be easily distinguished by these black veins from the wound," He gestured to the black crack-like veins growing out of the bandage, "but it is very hard to cure it even after identifying the poison."

"Then, would you happen to have a solution? I need to ask him something when he wakes up."

"I might, but it may take a couple hours to work."

"Do whatever you can, I'll try to prepare something herbal."

I left him to his antics, my last glimpse of him featured his palms facing the unconscious plusle, palms wide open and mysterious wisps of faint light dancing off his fingers, dissipating upon contact with the poisonous veins. I had no time to worry about what he was doing; however, I had to prepare something that I had learned how to prepare over the last six months.

Truth be told, I was no good at herbalism and the like, in fact I probably wouldn't be able to tell a normal tree from an oak tree from a willow tree even if I stared at the three for six hours. I was never any good with herbs and medicinal plants, but my mother was. She'd make herbal remedies for whenever my brother and I got sick, tired, or just plain injured.

I never bothered to learn any of the recipes my mother ever made, the only thing that I could say was that I regretted not learning them after I became a hybrid. If I did, those recipes would come in handy thousands of times in the span of one month, the danger level of being a hybrid fighting against the Betrayal Force on a scale of one to ten was infinite upon infinity.

But still, in these six months I had managed to learn one recipe, albeit from memory of my mother making it multiple times. It served as a rejuvenation remedy, healing both injuries, and doing wonders to replenish lost energy. It did absolutely nothing to counteract poison, though, so for that I would have to leave it to Xavier's expertise.

I entered the kitchen that I had made in the caves over the months since I found Vernier Forest and this hideout, and sitting there was everything I needed. Thankfully the forest warped near a swamp very recently, and I was able to gather a treasure trove of herbs thanks to it. _Thank you, Elpius_ was the first thing I thought when I came back. I quickly set to work, boiling a pot of water over the fire, started by gas stoves that I had (again) stolen from Betrayal Force facilities. Come to think of it, almost all the electrical stuff I had here was stuff I raided from my enemies, so I guess they weren't completely useless and annoying.

The water soon heated to a boil, numerous bubbles of air rising to the surface that created a continuous popping sound that covered the kitchen entirely. The water continued to boil, as I worked directly beside it, preparing the herbs to be boiled. There were many different ways to prepare herbs for boiling, and various different herbs had various different ways of preparation. For example, Enixious, a type of herb that did wonders to heal injuries, was best prepared for boiling by first removing the flowers and stalk to leave only the leaves behind, then chopping the leaves into tiny little flakes.

I dropped the first of herbs into the boiling water, and the transparency shifted to a natural green. The second batch of herbs were dropped, and from green it changed to a turquoise color, green and blue mixed, after all. The third batch of herbs was boiled, and from turquoise it slowly changed into a cyan color, the wonderful glow that colored the morning sky. I then proceeded to stir the herbs in together with a ladle, sprinkling in an herb that was commonly used in spices, just to make the medicine easier to take in.

I turned off the gas; the fire shrinking until it completely vanished, leaving no traces of its existence. Lifting the pot of cyan boiling water off the stove, I balanced it on the side of the table for a short instant and used my free hand to place a sieve on the pot itself, to make sure no leaves accidentally get inhaled. With the sieve in place, I poured the boiling water into ten separate bottles, and then put in in the fridge, which wasn't powered by electricity, but by Xavier's ice abilities; handy, isn't it?

The bottles had to be frozen to cold temperatures before taken out to defrost before they could be taken as medicine. If done wrongly, the medicine could prove to be fatal if one took too big a dose or if the preparation was flawed. Or at least, that's what I remember my mother telling me in the past. I took a break, placing the pot and the other materials I used in a mini-waterfall that I had created by breaking the wall above to let the water flow in, so that they could be washed and ready for the next use. My muscles slowly relaxed in the seat of the table in the main room of the hideout, my eyes irresistibly closing as the strenuous worrying finally came to an end.

The next time my eyes opened, I realized I had dozed off without realizing it. Xavier was seated directly opposite me, in the exact same position that we were in when we were gambling earlier.

"So, you're finally awake. I was wondering when you'd finally open your eyes, you sleepy-head."

"Oh, shut up. So, how's the plusle? Is the poison purged from his systems yet?"

"He's fine, the nightshade has been completely eliminated from his system, and I collected the remaining liquid in a bottle, in case it comes in handy."

"Ooookay… I'll try to find something useful for that I suppose."

"So, where's that herbal remedy you were talking about?"

"Oh, right! I should take out the liquid to defrost before giving it to the hybrid."

I walked over to the fridge, all the way in the kitchen, and took out all ten bottles to defrost. I put it in the place where I would usually do laundry, not that we needed laundry since we weren't that well-to-do and we didn't have luxuries like buying clothes, so we just stuck to our everyday outfits. Anyway, I placed the bottles on a metal tray and put it in the sun, under a skylight that would let the sun's rays and heat shine down on one sole area. The sun would speed up the defrosting process, and I was in and out in ten minutes. I took one bottle of the herbal medicine, and poured it into a cup, lacing it with sweet honey to mask the bitter taste. The rest of the unused medicine was stored in a wooden cabinet, to be used when the need arose again.

I took the teacup to the infirmary, passing by Xavier who was snoozing on the table with his head leaning on his forearms, and was relieved to see that the hybrid had finally come round.

"Hey, glad to see you're finally awake." I said, his momentary confusion causing him to look around and scan his surroundings for a moment.

"Here, drink this," I carefully placed the cup in his lap, after which he held it within his palms, "it'll make you feel better."

He glanced at me, then at the cup, then back at me and said, "Alright!" With no hesitation he began sipping the remedy as if he was sipping tea, the faint bitter taste of the medicine an obvious normality to him. I just hoped the sweet taste of the honey would mask majority of the medicine's taste.

"This tastes good, what is it?"

"It's… actually a herbal medicine. If you say it tastes good that means the honey did its job well."

His expression changed, and then he said, "Oh, so it was the honey. Well, I'm feeling a lot better now, the medicine must really have a strong effect."

"I suppose so."

"Ah! I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Xaleil, Xaleil Impetus."

* * *

-?-

**Location: Skyward Peak, Icarus Resistance HQ  
Date: 15****th**** April 2179  
Time: 8:31 AM  
Historia: Present**

A flash of light streaked across my black vision, lighting it up to a mix between white, orange, red and yellow, a bright mixture of colors that would have given me a seizure if I didn't open up my eyes in shock. My body bolted up instinctively, the sheets of the bed that covered me flipped off in an instant, my head feeling massive pain as it knocked into someone else's, causing a sudden scream followed by the distinct sounds of moaning and groaning, not that I wasn't participating.

I rubbed my forehead, the red swell already beginning to appear. When my vision finally cleared, I managed to look down at the person that had the audacity to even try something like that. My sight spotted an orange horn, and a certain crimson red hairband holding back a bundle of raven black hair tied in a ponytail. My eyes moved downward again, I spotted forest green irises and a distinct orange horn that grew out of the person's forehead, and I saw a fair complexion… No doubt about it, that person is…

"Raven! What did I tell you about waking me up like that!"

"Haha! I know what you said," she paused, then closed her eyes and said, in a perfect annoying imitation of my voice, "If you ever wake me up like that, so help me I will send you to the land of souls there and back a hundred times." And then she switched back to her voice, "but I can't help it! Your expression each time is priceless!"

"How do I stand you is beyond me… So, any reason you woke me up at, " I paused to check the analogue clock that was hung on the wall that my bed was against, "8.30 in the morning? You know I like sleeping late when there isn't anything important."

"Ah, yes. I almost forgot. I thought you might want to know; 'Virtue' Excius is back from his mission."

"What? Excius is back already? Well, then, I better go and see what he obtained from his mission. Please tell Excius that I will see him in ten minutes. Please ask him to wait for me in the central portal room."

"Very well, Lady 'Seraphim' Serene." She said, switching back into a formal tone.

She left the room, without another word, her footsteps barely making a sound as she trudged across the marble floor and the door clicked open as she turned it's doorknob, her silhouette disappearing beyond the my line of sight as the door closed shut. Now that I was alone, I quickly got out of bed; I had only ten minutes, after all. Changing from my nightgown into my priest robe, my normal appearance here at our headquarters, I grabbed my rapier on my way out and left my quarters to its silence.

There were already many angels walking around, awake to begin their early morning missions. Many were still in bed, just as many were waking up and leaving for the day, and just as many had already left. I passed by more than one door, and beyond each door contained a living quarter for three or more angels. Bunkrooms, the modern world called it. With each angel I passed, they bowed their heads in respect, and honor that I still felt embarrassed to be given even until now.

I suppose an explanation is in order. This is Skyward Peak, the tallest and most treacherous mountain in the entire world of Pylius, and where the Icarus Resistance had built their headquarters. It served two functions, a place where the warrior angels could hold up and plan their missions, and a gate to Limitless Village, a sanctuary for all hybrids who wished to live their lives in peace. I joined the Icarus Resistance around two years ago, just after I had turned into a Braviary-hybrid.

The hierarchy or ranks here at the Icarus Resistance followed the angelic hierarchy, and I was currently at the highest rank, 'Seraphim' or 'Seraph'. The 'angels' I referred to were the multitude of hybrids at the lowest rank here at the Icarus Resistance, warrior angels who carried out small missions and jobs. The 'Archangels' were one rank above the normal angels, and they were leader angels that commanded small groups of normal angels.

The hierarchy is split up even more, with the 'Rulers' commanding three to four Archangel groups at once, and they were usually the ones for the Archangels to report to after their missions, and being a Ruler really is torturous (I speak from experience, sadly), since most of the time their just doing a whole lot of filing and sorting of reports. Together these three make up the 'Third Sphere' of the angel hierarchy.

Those reports are then given to the 'Authorities', the 'librarians' of the Icarus Resistance who guard the archives, both past and present pieces of writing that are being kept there. They don't do much else, but the occasional Authority may be chosen to do other guard-based jobs. After them come the 'Virtues'. They are often referred to as commanders of a large portion of the Icarus Resistance, and they command around four to five Rulers, which in turn commands around twenty to twenty-five Archangel teams.

And above them would be the 'Dominions', which were also known as the champions of the Icarus Resistance. In this position would be a select few angels that had extremely adept abilities in battle. These three ranks made up the 'Second Sphere' of the hierarchy.

Which leads me to the top three: Ophanim, Cherubim and Seraphim. There were only three of us, one taking each place. These three made up the 'First Sphere', the highest-ranking angels here at the Icarus Resistance. I was at the top of the entire hierarchy, Seraphim, after the previous one had retired to Limitless Village. My assistant was Raven Eltear, the girl that liked to wake me up with crazy and 'devious' ways, a Dominion and my personal friend.

It seemed the entire walk had ended earlier than I had thought, it was over in five minutes, and the angels that buzzed in and out of the portals that served as the entrance and exit of the headquarters were paid no heed by my mind. I walked down the flight of stairs that lead to the central hall, where the central portal was located, just in between of the two flights of stairs that lead to the upper level, curved in a way that it looked almost like a grand hall.

In the middle of the central hall floor was the Icarus Resistance insignia, a holy orb spreading four white wings, two were spread wide open and two curved, half-spread. Standing on that very depiction was 'Virtue' Excius, someone I had asked to take care of a mission for me. Upon seeing me, his posture and body language changed from a casual one to standing straight with his hands beside him. I walked slowly towards him, taking step by step slowly, with no sense of hurrying.

"Welcome back, Excius. How was your mission?"

"Well, Lady Serene-" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before I stepped forward at blinding speed and pointed my rapier at his throat, causing him to gulp.

"Getting careless, Excius?"

"I could say the same about you, Lady Serene."

I looked down, and I saw that his sword was unsheathed as well, pointed at close range at my abdominal area, the same length as my rapier was from his throat.

"Hmm, I suppose we could call this a draw. And stop calling me 'Lady', you know how it makes me feel."

"Oh, does it embarrass you, Lady-"

I rushed forward and gave him a hard knock on the head, causing him to grip his head in pain while mumbling, "Ow…" This also gave Raven, who was standing quite close to our little meeting, quite the shock.

"I said, SERENE. No 'LADY'. Get it?"

"Alright, alright, I concede defeat, okay? Man, you're scary when you get serious, Serene."

"Good, and don't you forget that. Come on, we'll head to the Tri-Room for our discussion. As for you, Raven, you're free for the day, perhaps you might want to check on your brother, Heath? He always likes seeing you whenever you have time."

"Good idea. Thank you for giving me some free time, Lady Serene."

Excius and I watched as Raven blended into the crowd, disappearing beyond the multitude of hybrids and vanishing into the depths of the portal that lead to Limitless Village. Once she had gone to Limitless Village, Excius and I made our way to the Tri-Room, a place much like a throne room but it was consolidated among the First Sphere of angels. Each of us had a throne, and the room was built just like a courtroom, but it was completely made of precious metals such as gold and silver, and the Icarus Resistance insignia was plastered on the wall above the three thrones.

The majestic white ivory door was pushed open, and the glory of the Tri-Room lay within. The current Ophanim and Cherubim were nowhere to be seen, and my only guess would be that they would be somewhere where they could battle and spar with each other; they always liked to keep their skills sharp. Though, for our little discussion, peace and quiet was exactly what we needed. Excius and I headed to behind the Seraphim throne, and into my little 'office', as many people called it. I shut the door with a faint thud, and opened the curtains, letting the rays of sunlight illuminate the room.

"Well, now that we're alone, I would like your full report on your mission, Excius."

"Alright, Serene. Where would you like me to start?

* * *

-Excius-

**Location: Survival Lab Ruins  
Date: 14****th**** April 2179  
Time: 5:46 PM  
Historia: Past**

Under the orders of Lady 'Seraphim' Serene, I undertook her personal mission. It was sort of a scouting mission, but more of spying than scouting. She had wanted me to gather information on a certain individual by the codename of 'Lapsus'. Doing as she commanded, I departed from Skyward Peak at 5 PM sharp, and set out for the ruins of the Survival Lab where traces of a Fallen Angel energy was detected around six months ago. According to Lady Serene, the First Sphere of angels had originally wanted to send out a search party when they first detected the Fallen Angel energy traces, but they were short of numbers to compose one, and after six months she supposed the other two had forgotten about it. She hadn't, however, and this mission was solely dedicated to that.

My speed was impressive, and that same comment came from many hybrids around me, allowing me to move at lightning flash speeds that got me to my destinations fairly quickly. I dashed through the woods and plains and many other landscaped just blurred past me as my speed took me flying through them all, leaving nothing but a trail of dust and a dark blue silhouette behind. After all, I am a Swellow-hybrid. The most distinct mutation I had obtained from being a hybrid was the pair of wings that resembled a majestic Swellow, with a wide wingspan and sharp tips to reduce drag and increase speed. The wings were not only good for flying but they also helped when I needed extra speed on the ground.

Soon, I reached the border of the destroyed forest, and I walked through the green trees into a field of blackened soil, with charred tree stumps and near-collapsing tree branches dotting the landscape of the once beautiful forest. It was a place of devastation, a wide circle of blackened soil with a radius of two miles, and just beyond its edge were the remaining parts of the forest that survived the blast or whatever was unleashed here.

This time, I walked slowly, using my sharp eyes to observe every detail of the charred area, and with each tree I passed the situation became more and more intriguing. The trees weren't charred by fire, because the nature of the blackened spots were spiked in one direction, as if an outward blast of enormous power was unleashed right at the center of this wide circle. The soil was charred, but when I dug through the first layer of soil I found that even underneath the soil was charred, something no normal explosion or blaze could do.

Eventually, my search came to the center of the circle, which was a massive structure that once looked like something, but now it was just charred ruins of bricks and stone, and nearly three-quarters of it looked like it had disintegrated, with the dust scattering on the outside like outward facing ashes. The outside structure still seemed to actually look like a lab, but the inside had suffered worse, if you could even tell the difference between the two now that only a few structures and walls still stood upright while the rest had been reduced to dust.

I stepped 'in', if you could even call this place an indoor area, and continued my observation, which was my job here, after all. I studied the results of the destruction carefully, the char marks much worse than the ones that I found on the trees outside, with most of the standing walls completely blackened to the point where no one could tell what they used to be, and even the remaining walls looked like they were still crumbling.

My theory was proven correct when I accidentally bumped into a wall by accident, and I was forced to dive for cover as the ceiling held up by that wall and surrounding ones collapsed on the ground. That was the last ceiling in this structure, and everything could just be considered as rubble by now.

And then I sensed it, a force of dark energy blow past my wings. A chill ran up my spine, the feeling stretching to even the tips of my wings and instinctively caused them to curl around my body, as if the temperature was somehow dropping. It wasn't, though, it was merely an effect of the residual dark energy that was left behind here, probably by the attack that destroyed more than half the forest. Upon feeling that energy, I became much more worried, and I rushed around, seeing if I could pick up the residual traces so I could bring it back to the HQ.

My eyes soon rested on a piece of dug up ground, and in that tiny pit was a small pool of blackened water, with black colored steam slowly rising from it. It seemed like a poison that was just as dangerous as acid that could burn through flesh and bone, and every instinct in my body told me to either ignore it or approach it with extreme caution.

With a little bit of luck, and a whole lot of caution, I managed to gather some of the blackened liquid, which I then pocketed in the sling bag that I had brought alone with me, hoping that one of the 'Authorities' back at the HQ would have something on this, or at least something that could analyze its composition. With my work here done, I took whatever notes I needed on paper, and got out of there before the residual dark energy could affect my mental state any longer. Whoever released that energy, he would either have to be so evil that he deserved to be in hell, or be a really pitiful soul that was cursed with an evil power.

My wings wasted no time in recovering from the exposure to the dark energy, and soon I was back to moving at lightning speeds, dashing through the forests and landscape back to my point of origin, Skyward Peak – The HQ of the Icarus Resistance. At least, that was my original plan until I heard certain explosions sound in the distance. The force and ensuing winds from the bright spheres of fire and light knocked me off my dash, blowing me backwards into a nearby tree and smashing against its trunk with an enormous amount of force.

This intrigued me, and so I headed the direction where the explosions came from, my curiosity for more possible information about 'Lapsus' giving my conscience no choice but to head into the line of fire.

**Location: Lyra Woods  
Time: 5:15 PM**

I peered into the thick ensemble of trees, and unfolding inside was what looked like a battle of epic proportions. It was a one-on-one battle, and both of them looked like grass-type hybrids.

One one side, there was a hybrid that seemed to have taken on a servine form, with a servine's tail and a forked tongue that constantly flicked out, and he also sported a distinct set of slit-like red irises. He was clad in a green colored stealth-type armor that seemed to have been specially made just for him, his tail being uncovered and a bulletproof helmet with enough space for his tongue to flick out. The most intriguing thing about it was the insignia plastered on the right side of the chest plate.

_That's… Betrayal Force's insignia! He must work for them!_

I turned my eyes to the other side of the battlefield, and there stood a blond-haired boy that looked around 17 years old, with him possessing a light green colored complexion and a head-leaf that overlapped with his blond hair, leading me to believe that he had taken on a grovyle form. On his forearms were three leaf blades each, and they were all arced backwards, cutting through his clothes. He also possessed a three-leaf tail, and his irises were crimson-red, and he was wearing a typical teenager outfit.

_This boy… He seems to fit the description of the picture that some of our Archangel teams had managed to capture. Perhaps he is the one I am looking for._

I did a high jump and landed on a nearby tree branch, perched there while watching the battle unfold.

* * *

-Risk-

**Location: Lyra Woods  
Date: 14****th**** April 2179  
Time: 5:17 PM  
Historia: Past**

"So, you've found me again… I'd hoped I'd never see you again, psychopath."

"…I have a name, and you might as well use it. I am Adrien, personal assistant to Sir Zero!"

"Who cares what your name is? You tried to kill me last time, and I won't let that happen again!" I charged forward, Leaf Blade prepped to do some serious damage.

I shouted as I was on top of him, slashing across his position hoping to do some serious damage. But, it was just wishful thinking for him to just stand there and take the blow. He moved at lightning speeds, dodging my attack with ease. His silhouette faded high into the air, leaping over my head and landing right behind me. I spun around without second thoughts, charging once again with my leaf blades swung back glowing bright green. This time, I slashed straight downwards, and he side-stepped it easily. His speed was something that I could only hope to achieve, his agility imitating a shadow.

I anticipated his dodging pattern, having used this myself a couple of times, and instantly switched my attack from a downward slash to a side-swipe, but even then he managed to dodge it, albeit escaping with a minor gash to his right arm.

"Hmph… I see you've gotten at least a little stronger since last time, but it still won't be enough to defeat me!"

"Tch… Shut up." I muttered, getting quite pissed off by this guy.

I joined my hands together, both thrust in front of me as an orb of green energy glowed and enlarged, accompanied by a soft and low hum as the energy from the forest around me gathered and focused into the compressed sphere. I shouted 'Terra Flare!' invoking the attack's name and tossing the orb of energy in a straight path towards Adrien, creating a gigantic green explosion upon impact. It did little to slow him down, since he dodged by doing another high jump and leaping over the attack, landing in front of the impressive green semi-sphere.

"Please, if that's all you've got, then this is a waste of time. I suppose I should just finish you off right now."

He took on a fighting stance, and he then dashed sideways, his Stealth Camo ability cloaking him as he blended in with the environment, as if he was an assassin from the shadows. I could no longer see where he was, and it was a bit worrying, to say the least. The last time he used this ability I fell prey to it, and it did not end well last time.

_There has to be a way… But if I just stand here I'll be giving him an easy shot. These types of techniques most likely give the user a tendency to dash around the opponent in circles, so if I did the same… It probably WON'T work, but at least it'll make it harder to hit me._

I dashed into the plumage of the woods, pausing for a second to activate Instant Flash, giving me an instantaneous burst of speed and allowing me to dash around the battlefield haphazardly, making it that much more difficult to hit me if he was trying to aim a shot at me with his rifle. Unfortunately, I seemed to have overestimated myself and deeply underestimated his ability to predict my moves. It took a good thirty seconds, but he eventually found a pattern in haphazard dashing and he managed to counter it, unleashing a Leaf Blade attack that I dashed right into, the repelling force of the attack sending me flying and crashing into two trees at once.

I put both of my hands on the ground, my palms feeling the soft grass below me, as I put some energy into my arms and pushed myself up, getting back on my feet to continue the battle. However, my efforts were only met with even more disaster, as my eyes caught on to a stream of purple liquid I recognized as Toxic just in time, and I sidestepped far away from the attack, the liquid poisoning the tree that it hit and causing it to wilt within seconds.

It didn't stop there either. Multitudes of purple streams came flying towards me, and I had to use all the senses and energy I had left just to dodge all of them, and even then I had a whole lot of close calls. I dodged one, and another would come flying towards me, along with a whole more to block off nearly all of my possible dodging routes, save one or two. With each one came more, and it seemed to be an endless wave. During this whole time, I kept wondering, 'Why doesn't he block off all of my escape routes? Why leave one? And why does it seem like he doesn't tire at all?'

The toxic ensemble finally ended, giving me enough time to charge up another Terra Flare and release it just as I sidestepped the last of those purple streams. The orb of energy flew through the air, unleashing another massive explosion where Adrien once was, a futile attempt in which Adrien simply countered by dodging out of the way.

"Tch… Screw this. Let's see how you like this!"

I conjured another Terra Flare, the energy building and compressing slowly into the small ball of energy. I pulled back my arm, ready to toss it at the intended target, when a voice flashed through my head, almost like a conscience… or a battle aid?

"_You really are dumb, aren't you?" The voice said._

The voice caught my attention, temporarily surprising me and causing the stored up energy to dissipate and disintegrate.

"_Wait a minute… who are you anyway?"_

"_Ah… that you have no need to know. But for now… I'll settle with teaching you the importance of manipulation."_

"_Manipulation? What do you mean?"_

"_Just give me a minute…"_

I waited, and watched as Adrien charged, his tail glowing bright and burning green, his Leaf Blade prepped to strike me, and the he just… paused. Literally, he just stopped in mid-air, screaming and ready to slice me into pieces and all that. It was as if time had stopped, and that kind of made my fighting stance practically redundant, without Adrien being able to move.

"_Well, now the wait is over."_

"_How… did you do that?"_

"_Ah ah, explanations are redundant. Now, let's get on with the lesson."_

"_What lesson?"_

"_Listen carefully and you'll find out. Now, as you might already know, energy is the force that flows all around us, and a select few can learn to control the energy, using it to conjure up unimaginable feats of 'magical' properties, which can then be used for many things, such as fighting and everyday activities, correct?"_

"_Yes… I know that, I picked that up from a book I recently finished. I think it was titled 'Concepts of Energy'." I said in my mind, talking to the possibly inexistent voice, an imaginary whiteboard appearing in my head as I processed all the information he was giving me."_

"_Good, then I won't have to waste too much time explaining it to you. Now, the energy that the select few can control, can manifest in many forms, such as a burst of energy and a blast of energy, correct?"_

"_Yes…"_

"_Well, now. They may manifest in different forms, but ultimately they are all generated from the same source of energy that flows around us. The raw power and energy that constantly flows around us is exposing us to a relatively minimal amount of energy radiation, but it still exists, nonetheless. Those that can learn to harness it and control it are considered more powerful than those who can't, but that is not the extent of energy manipulation."_

"_It's not?"_

"_Indeed. The highest level of energy manipulation is not just controlling the energy, but being able to switch the energy from one form to another. I shall now teach you to change your one and only energy attack, to one with much more variety."_

"_You mean Terra Flare? You want me to change it to something else?"_

"_Yes. I seem to recall you telling yourself that your Terra Flare attack was too slow for you to hit Adrien, right?"_

"_Yes…"_

"_Well, now. That is because it is a compressed sphere of energy, and because it stores so much energy it is considerably slower than Adrien's Toxic attack, which he releases in short bursts. Instead of firing a compressed sphere of energy, why not try splitting up the energy you gather into smaller, less powerful versions? They'll be weaker, but faster, and repetition attacks will help."_

"_Split up the energy? I've never thought of that… I suppose I could try it…"_

With the new instructions from the 'voice', and with the frozen time around me, I had all the time in the world to practice this new attack. I took the same stance, preparing the compressed sphere of energy that I would normally gather to launch Terra Flare. Then, instead of tossing the orb like I used to, I punched my hand straight into the energy until my hand was coated with it, and swiped across the air as fast as I could. The intended result was met, the energy was scraped off my hand by the air pressure, and small shots of energy flew across the air at high speeds, impaling and toppling a nearby tree.

"_Well done! I've never seen anyone manipulate one form to another that quickly. From Flare to Blitz, ingenious."_

"_Terra Blitz, huh? Looks like I just gained another weapon in my arsenal."_

I watched as a low hum emanated from all around me, the time spell fading as the paused time slowly returned to normal, and time began to replay.

"Wait a second, how did you get from here to there!?" Adrien exclaimed in disbelief.

"Heh, that doesn't need any explanation. Let's continue. And this time, you'll find something different about me…"

* * *

ExDraco: Well, well, what an amazing turn of events. I wonder who that voice is?  
Risk: You know you haven't yet joined up the part where Xaleil was gonna tell me and Xavier something, right?  
ExDraco: Oh, relax; I'll do that in the next chapter.  
Peleus: Now, allow me to actually explain what the location system's 'Historia' means. Basically, it represents the state of time. Past or present, though, I kinda find it redundant since the future will never be in perspective.  
ExDraco: Ah ah ah, don't be too sure of yourself. I have some stuff in store… But you'll have to find out in the 'future'.

ExDraco: So, to sign off… Read and Review and thanks for all of your patience. See y'all next time!


End file.
